New State Rule Requires More Training To Receive Commercial Driver’s License

A new state requirement will have those seeking to get their Commercial Driver’s Licenses, such as school bus drivers, to undertake more training.

Putnam Schools Transportation Supervisor Kim Bradford said that drivers can no longer go to a driver’s testing station and pick up a learner’s permit. She said that they now must be properly trained through certified personnel.

“We’ll have safer drivers on the road,” Bradford said. “That’s what they think. They feel like if everyone is getting the same type of training, we’ll have safer commercial drivers on our road.”

Bradford said that the state has had safety issues with commercial drivers over the past several years. She said that school bus drivers will have to have at least their permit by Monday, when the rule goes into place.

“Say you get a permit this Friday, that permit is good for a year,” Bradford said. “So you do not have to fall under this category for a whole year. It is anyone who has to get a permit to drive a CDL commercial vehicle starting Monday, they’re the ones who have to go under this training program.”

Bradford said that she does not believe the rule will impact the number of drivers, but it will impact the way the schools train them.

The Overton County School Board discussed this new requirement at a recent board meeting. Robert Boykin, a CDL Examiner for the state, said that it would be beneficial for the schools to examine hiring their own certified trainers. He said that it was also possible for other districts in the county to go in on one together.

Bradford said this implementation has been about three years in the making. She said that Putnam School Systems currently have three certified trainers on the school system’s staff who are able to train bus drivers and meet the necessary requirements.