Commercial vehicle drivers with a Missouri chauffeur's license have until April 1 to obtain a Missouri Commercial Drivers License (CDL).
Drivers of commercial vehicles, such as school buses and semi-trucks, previously were licensed the same as chauffeurs, but federal law now requires that commercial bus and truck drivers be licensed separately.
The switch to CDLs in Missouri began two years ago, when drivers whose chauffeurs license expired on March 1, 1990 were the first to take the written CDL test.
Since that time, more than 100,000 of the 486,000 drivers who held chauffeur's permits have obtained their CDLs.
Sgt. Ralph Robinette, assistant director of the Missouri Highway Patrol's Driver's License Examination Division in Jefferson City, said the number of drivers who already have converted their licenses is close to estimates.
"Based on statistics, we believed about 25 percent of the drivers who held for-hire chauffeur's permits would convert over to the CDLs," said Robinette. "That's pretty close to what we're seeing in Missouri.
"By the end of the month, we expect the number of CDL drivers will be right at 125,000."
What about the other 360,000 drivers? Robinette said they will likely exchange their chauffeur's license for the new "Class E" license.
"This is the same type of for-hire license as the old chauffeur's license," Robinette said. "It includes people who drive "for hire" smaller vehicles such as delivery vans and taxi cabs."
In this area, highway patrol driver examiners say the number of people taking CDL tests at examining stations in Cape Girardeau, Jackson and other nearby cities has risen dramatically this week.
At shortly after noon at Cape Girardeau's examination facility Thursday, an examiner said it was the first time that day there wasn't a long line of applicants waiting to take the CDL test.
License Examiner Charles Skelton said about 85 percent of the people coming into area examining stations this week are taking the CDL test.
Skelton expects the percentage to continue increase through the end of the month. "It's gotten heavy this week, and it's going to get worse next week," he said.
The written CDL tests are given in Cape Girardeau every Thursday and Friday, and in Jackson, each Monday at the National Guard armory.
After passing the written CDL test, applicants must pass a pre-trip and road skills test that is given by the highway patrol upon appointment.
Due to the increasing number of applicants taking the pre-trip and skills test, highway patrol examiners strongly urge drivers to be on time for their appointment.
While the changeover from chauffeur to CDL has been relatively easy in Missouri, the same cannot be said of some other states.
Deborah Pennington, managing editor of Overdrive, a nationally circulated truckers magazine, said many states are being deluged by frantic truck drivers who suddenly realize there will be no extension of the April 1 deadline.
Speaking from the magazine's editorial offices in Tuscaloosa, Ala., Pennington said many truckers mistakenly believed the deadline could be extended by the states.
"The CDL testing and licensing program is managed by each state, but it is controlled by the federal government," she said. "The only body that could extend the CDL deadline is Congress, and at this point they have not even considered it. Even the National Transportation Safety Board cannot change the deadline."
Pennington said she's heard rumors of a deadline extension, but that it would require Congress and every state to agree to an extension, which seems unlikely.
"Some states may be more lenient on truckers who do not have their CDLs by April 1, but there are other states that will throw the book at them and might even throw them in jail," she said.
Pennington said another problem is that as the deadline approaches, many states have no plans to handle the increased demand for written and road skills testing.
"One trucker told me he could not get an appointment in his state to take the pre-trip and skills test until May 1," she added.
In Missouri, Robinette said the highway patrol has plans to handle the increased number of CDL test applicants.
"We have plans in place, that if needed, we have the resources to put on more people and add more hours to accommodate those needing to take their CDL tests to get them legal by the April 1 deadline," he said.
Robinette said the CDL will eliminate the practice of some drivers who have operator's licenses in more than one state. He said the CDL is also considered to be a national driver's license, and should be recognized in all 50 states.
"When a driver holding a CDL moves to Missouri, he has 30 days to exchange his current CDL for a Missouri CDL," he explained.
Drivers exempted from the CDL requirements include: farmers operating large trucks within 150 miles of their farms unless they haul hazardous materials; active-duty military truck drivers; emergency services drivers; drivers who rent commercial class vehicles; and drivers of large recreational vehicles.
Robinette said the CDL is just the first wave of an on-going effort to improve the driving skills of anyone who operates a motor vehicle.
"Eventually, we're going to see the time come when all drivers will be retested regularly, similar to what the CDL program now requires," he said. "Those with a good driving record would only have to take a written test and not a skills test.
"I don't know how far away that time is, but I do know that it is being discussed by the states, and is an issue at the federal level.
"But first we want to get the CDL program in place so we can take a look at the impact it has on the national traffic accident patterns."
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