Sr. Industry Business Advisor — J. J. Keller & Associates, Inc.
Understanding driver disqualification is as important as understanding driver qualification.
Written by:
Tom Bray
Sr. Industry Business Advisor — J. J. Keller & Associates, Inc.
Understanding driver disqualification is as important as understanding driver qualification. In fact, the two go hand-in-hand. Regulations for both can be found in the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations (FMCSRs).
There are four primary areas a truck driver can be disqualified from driving a commercial motor vehicle (CMV):
If a driver loses his or her CMV operator’s license (either temporarily or permanently) because of revocation, suspension, withdrawal, or denial, that driver becomes disqualified. For example, a driver who holds a valid driver’s license from his/her home state, but whose privilege to drive in another state is revoked or suspended because of a moving violation. That driver is disqualified until his or her privileges are restored by the authority that revoked or suspended them.
The driver is required to inform you of the above conditions. However, you can request a Motor Vehicle Report (MVR) on all current drivers more frequently than the minimum requirement of once every 12 months (§391.25(a)).
This section of the regulations describes the criteria for criminal and other offenses and the duration of disqualification for these offenses. One offense to note (not covered in §383.51) is the possession of a Schedule I controlled substance.
This section states the duration of time a driver is disqualified if convicted of violating an out-of-service order:
This section was added to address the duration of disqualification by a driver who is convicted of texting while driving a CMV.
Your drivers are frontline workers, so it’s critical that you develop and follow a thorough and comprehensive driver hiring and qualification process that weeds out high-risk drivers.
It's critical to develop and follow a thorough and comprehensive driver hiring and qualification process that weeds out high-risk drivers. Talk with a compliance specialist about how you can improve your driver qualification processes. Learn more.
You may also enjoy the following articles:
We'll help you stay on top of regulations, best practices, and fleet industry news. Sign up to receive a monthly email notification with links to our most recent blog articles, free resources, and event invites.