He also announced an update of CDL testing, changes reflecting “real-world” situations truckers are more likely to encounter, as well as a doubling of the duration of commercial learner’s permits, from six to 12 months.
Husted noted that the first change allows CDL holders to join Class D license-holders — most motorists driving normal automobiles — who have been able to renew their licenses online since the summer of 2022.
“We need to make it easier for people to comply with all of this,” Husted said. “We don’t want anyone to have to wait in line ever again.”
“The online renewal piece will be very welcomed by the industry,” said Thomas Balzer, president of the Ohio Trucking Association, who joined Husted at ABF. “All the drivers in this room devote many hours, their spouses devote many hours as well, to caring for their families, their households and doing their jobs. This will ease that wait time when they are unproductive and not getting paid.”
Balzer singled out the change for the learner’s permit, saying too often student drivers are forced to take the learner’s permit test more than once before they’re able to graduate from one of the state’s 53 truck driving schools.
“Right now, most schools are on an 8-week to 12-week wait just to get into the school,” he said. “So if you go and take your commercial learner’s permit test, and then go in to get on with the school, you’re probably going to max up your six months before you ever step foot inside that school.”
On the testing piece, Balzar said he has had to parallel park a rig only once, for a CDL test.
Credit: JIM NOELKER
Credit: JIM NOELKER
Jimmy Heider, an ABF driver and CDL instructor, welcomed the changes. Heider said he hoped uploading federal documents to the state Bureau of Motor Vehicle (BMV) website won’t be a problem.
“It will help me,” Heider said. “One less trip to the BMV. I hope I can get my haz-mat (hazardous material carrier) fingerprints approved and then jump online to do this, to make it more streamlined.
He added: “It will help the guys that are new, give them a little more time to get a CDL.”
ABF supervisor and former driver Joe York also liked what he heard Tuesday.
“Especially in the renewal process,” York said. “Oftentimes, we’re out on the road for days on end, and we don’t have a lot of home time. If we come home, we don’t want to spend time at the BMV, waiting all day long.”
Ohio has more than 388,00 active CDL-holders, Husted said. Ohio truckers transport 630 million tons of freight every year, on average about 1.6 million tons each day. And the OhioMeansJobs.com web site has over 7,000 jobs posted for CDL holders in Ohio, he also said.
About the Author
