Who Requires A CDL?

A CDL or a commercial driver's licence is a mandatory permit or licence that is required by vehicle operators who manage and drive vehicle in excess of eleven thousand seven hundred and ninety three kilograms or twenty six thousand lbs. In the United States the Commercial Motor Vehicle Safety Act was passed into law in 1986. Its purpose was to improve the safety on highways. It required that drivers of heavy vehicles including trailers were tested both practically and theoretically before being allowed to ply heavy vehicles. States generally have the right to issue CDLs but they must conform to the requirements laid down by the Federal Government. Before the legislation was passed the rules related to CDLs differed from state to state. In some states a person with a regular drivers licence could drive a commercial vehicle before the legislation was introduced.