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July/August 2008 — Vol. 86, No. 6
CAPITOL REPORTER
New law tightens screening
of commercial drivers
A federal law being implemented in Connecticut will lead to tighter screening of the state’s 94,000 commercial driver license (CDL) holders as well as new applicants for the license to drive large commercial trucks.
The new system will also speed up the licensing process by enabling Department of Motor Vehicles staff to share violation information electronically with other states and update driver records in real time. Previously, states exchanged driver records through a time-consuming, paper-based system.
Now, all new CDL applicants, as well as those renewing, upgrading or transferring an out-of-state CDL, will be required to name every state in which they have been licensed during the past 10 years. Applicants must provide this information on a special form, under penalty of false statement, at the time of their transaction in a DMV full-service branch office.
If an applicant is found to have made a false statement on the form, any license that is issued may be revoked and the applicant may be prosecuted.
The DMV conducts several national database checks to determine the license status of a driver before issuing a CDL. Upon receiving driver information from other states, DMV staff will now combine out-of-state information into one driving record for the CDL holder on file with Connecticut.
In June, DMV began sending renewal applications to CDL holders who will be given a two-year or four-year term. The base cost for a two-year CDL renewal is $30 and for a four-year renewal is $60.
DMV sends out renewal applications approximately two months before the CDL’s expiration date. All CDL renewals must be conducted at a full-service DMV branch office.
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