If a Truck Driver has a CDL Does that Mean They are a Safe Driver?

There are multiple reasons why a CDL does not mean the Truck Driver is a safe driver.

• A CDL does not indicate that the holder is a trained or experienced truck or bus driver.
• A CDL merely indicates that the holder has passed minimal skills and knowledge tests concerning the type of vehicle he or she proposes to drive.
• A CDL endorsement does not indicate that the holder is trained or experienced in the area covered by the endorsement.
• A CDL endorsement merely indicates that the holder has passed a minimal knowledge test concerning the area covered by the endorsement.
• It is incumbent upon a prospective employer of a commercial vehicle driver to ensure that driver is properly trained to operate that employer’s trucks or buses and to handle that employer’s freight or passengers.
• 49 CFR 391.11(b)(3) on Qualification of Drivers requires that a driver must be able by reason of experience, training, or both, to safely operate the commercial motor vehicle he or she drives. This requirement is not met by simply ascertaining that a prospective driver holds a CDL.
• The Federal Highway Administration and U.S. Department of Transportation published the On Guard Bulletin through the Office of Motor Carriers under Vol. 25, No. 1, Washington, D.C., January 1997 as a warning to all trucking companies and DOT licensed motor carriers to stop hiring truck drivers with just a CDL because they are notsafe drivers without more training.