LANSING – The Michigan House of Representatives today passed a bill introduced by State Representative Dudley Spade (D-Tipton) that will allow active service men and women and recently discharged veterans to waive the driving skills test portion of Michigan's commercial driver's license (CDL) requirements if they have an equivalent military qualification. Provided the veteran in questions is also in compliance with applicable federal law, House Bill 4175 would allow the Secretary of State to take into account the value of commercial driving experience gained while in the armed forces. The legislation passed unanimously.
"An important part of honoring the sacrifices of our brave men and women in uniform is easing their transition back into civilian life," Representative Spade said. "By recognizing the usefulness of skills learned while in the military, we are removing one of the barriers that returning service members too often face. This is an opportunity to acknowledge the value of one such proficiency that translates directly to civilian life. Businesses and employers already recognize the value of military experience and it is high time for the State of Michigan to do the same."
Under 49 C.F.R. § 383.77--the federal law that dictates what requirements the states are permitted to waive with respect to CDL's--Michigan is only permitted to waive the road skills test portion of the CDL requirements. Under the Spade bill, qualified applicants would also be required to comply with standards set forth in the federal statute. Those requirements include a provision that the applicant certify that they operated a vehicle equivalent to the one for which they are seeking a license for at least the two years prior to discharge. The driver must also have a clean driving record and have taken and passed a skills test given by a state with a classified licensing and testing system.