WASHINGTON – Senator John Hoeven secured a commitment from Derek Barrs, Administrator of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), to promptly complete its audit of North Dakota’s commercial driver’s license (CDL) program. In a recent meeting with Barrs, Hoeven stressed the need to provide certainty for North Dakota industries, including farmers, who are facing an early spring planting this year, and the need to provide assurances that sufficient CDL operators are available to move equipment, seed and fertilizer. In response, Barrs committed to:
- Conduct an expedited review of North Dakota’s CDL program.
- FMCSA has been reviewing non-domiciled CDL programs across the country to ensure drivers meet federal safety standards and have the proper legal status.
- Barrs indicated North Dakota’s audit has made good progress and should be completed within the next two weeks.
- Once completed, North Dakota would be able to resume issuing non-domiciled CDLs.
- Visit North Dakota with Hoeven to meet with local business leaders, providing them the opportunity to give direct feedback on a range of issues affecting commercial trucking and transportation in the state.
“As a leading energy and agriculture state, North Dakota needs reliable commercial truck drivers. Our farmers rely on workers with CDLs to support their operations, and this is particularly important as we move into the spring planting season. That’s why we’re working with FMCSA to ensure this audit of the state’s CDL program is completed as soon as possible, and I welcome Administrator Barrs’ commitment to do just that. Once the review is completed in the next two weeks, the state can begin issuing non-domiciled CDLs again, supporting access to the trucking services our ag producers need,” said Hoeven. “We also look forward to hosting Barrs in the state in the near future to discuss this and other issues impacting our trucking industry, and appreciate his willingness to receive this input firsthand.”
