In May, 2011, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) gave State Driver Licensing Agencies the authority to substitute two years of commercial motor vehicle (CMV) safe driving experience in military equivalents of CMVs for the skills test portion of the Commercial Driver License (CDL) test. For those veterans who qualify, they need only to pass the written exam in order to get their CDL.
At present, 48 states offer the skills test waiver for military drivers.
FMCSA, in collaboration with the U.S. Army, Department of Defense and the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators, has created a standardized Application For Military Skills Test Waiver. It lists those violations that can deny the waiver; identifies the specific types of vehicles which the service member was licensed to drive; and includes an endorsement of a safe driving record that needs to be completed by the service member's commanding officer.
The waiver can be found at http://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/documents/reg-licensing/cdl/APPLICATION-FOR-MILITARY-SKILLS-TEST-WAIVER.pdf.
For a list of the states offering the waiver, visit http://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/documents/reg-licensing/cdl/Military-Skills-Test-Waiver-Map.pdf.
