ED: CDL Test Rules Eased Temporarily for School Bus Driver Applicants

  • By Kristal Kuykendall
  • 01/04/22

The U.S. Departments of Transportation and Education on Tuesday announced that the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is temporarily allowing states with school bus driver shortages to waive the portion of the commercial driver’s license skills test that requires applicants to identify the “under the hood” engine components.

The waiver went into effect on Jan. 3, 2022, and expires on March 31, 2022, the departments said in a news release; the change aims to help districts with driver shortages to safely keep schools open for in-person learning. All other components of the CDL written and road test will remain, the departments said.

“We’ve heard from educators and parents that labor shortages, particularly of bus drivers, are a roadblock to keeping kids in schools,” U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona said in the news release. “Today’s announcement will give states the flexibility they need to help increase the pool of drivers, who are a key part of the school community, and get kids to school safely each day where students learn best.”

“This federal waiver will help states that are short on bus drivers,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. “By allowing states to focus on the testing requirements that are critical to safety, we will get additional, qualified drivers behind the wheel to get kids to school safely.”

Drivers receiving a CDL under the temporary waiver are permitted to operate in-state school buses only; they are not authorized to operate trucks, motorcoaches, or any other type of commercial motor vehicle requiring a CDL, according to the announcement.

For more details and related information about American Rescue Plan funds for schools, view the full announcement on the Department of Education website.

About the Author

Kristal Kuykendall is editor, 1105 Media Education Group. She can be reached at [email protected].


Featured

  • elementary school boy using a laptop with a glowing digital brain above his head and circuit lines extending outward

    The Brain Drain: How Overreliance on AI May Erode Creativity and Critical Thinking

    Just as sedentary lifestyles have reshaped our physical health, our dependence on AI, algorithms, and digital tools is reshaping how we think, and the effects aren't always positive.

  • robot brain with various technology and business icons

    Google Cloud Study: Early Agentic AI Adopters See Better ROI

    Google Cloud has released its second annual ROI of AI study, finding that 52% of enterprise organizations now deploy AI agents in production environments. The comprehensive survey of 3,466 senior leaders across 24 countries highlights the emergence of a distinct group of "agentic AI early adopters" who are achieving measurably higher returns on their AI investments.

  • tutor and student working together at a laptop

    You've Paid for Tutoring. Here's How to Make Sure It Works.

    As districts and states nationwide invest in tutoring, it remains one of the best tools in our educational toolkit, yielding positive impacts on student learning at scale. But to maximize return on investment, both financially and academically, we must focus on improving implementation.

  • blue and green network lines

    HPE Intros Agentic AI Enhancements to Mist Platform

    HPE recently introduced new capabilities for its Juniper Mist platform that leverage agentic AI to enable more autonomous, intelligent, and proactive network operations.