The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration announced on April 13 it has expanded its COVID-19 emergency declaration to allow examiners to conduct commercial driver license (CDL) skills tests without being physically in the truck. Technologies like in-cab cameras, online testing, and cellphones will be used.
The agency said Bluetooth, in-cab cameras, and cellphones may be used to administer the CDL skills test in a way that allows the examiners “to not be physically present in the cab of the vehicle with the driver applicant while conducting the on-road test segment.”
The agency requested states that wish to administer the skills test without the examiner being in the test vehicle submit a plan and explain how their administration of the test will be comparable with the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators model.
“The plan should detail how the state intends to administer the test without compromising safety, observe the skills test from a second vehicle, leverage technology and score the road test, along with any other information the state believes will help FMCSA determine whether the test administration is comparable to the AAMVA model,” the agency said.
FMCSA said states may wish to consider, for example, either having two employees in a sufficiently large follow vehicle seated six feet apart or else having one employee in a follow vehicle while a recording device that is set up on the vehicle records the test, viewing the applicant’s performance after the examiner has stopped driving, and then immediately deleting the recording.
The agency said it will consider such plans until June 30.
Click here to read the waiver.