Young, Peters Applaud Passage of Legislation to Strengthen National Safety System for Commercial Drivers

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Todd Young (R-Ind.) and Gary Peters (D-Mich.) applauded House passage this week of their bipartisan legislation to strengthen the national safety system for commercial drivers. The Strengthening the Commercial Driver’s License Information System (CDLIS) Act will protect funding for the Commercial Driver’s License Information System (CDLIS), a crucial, nationwide computer system that ensures commercial drivers have only one license and one complete driver record. The bill, which passed the Senate in September, now heads to the President’s desk to be signed into law. 

“I am pleased to see the Strengthening the Commercial Driver’s License Information Act pass Congress. Our bill will help ensure the Commercial Driver’s License Information System remains easily accessible, properly maintained, and free of bureaucratic overreach,” said Senator Young.

“CDLIS is an essential system used in Michigan and nationwide to make sure commercial drivers are approved to operate on our roads. However, recent changes to its funding source could jeopardize the system’s effectiveness,” said Senator Peters. “I’m proud that this commonsense, bipartisan bill to permanently reinstate the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators’ authority to operate CDLIS will soon become law. This needed step will help improve safety in the commercial driving industry, which impacts communities throughout Michigan and every state.”

State driver licensing agencies utilize the CDLIS to complete safety procedures such as sharing out-of-state convictions and withdrawals, transferring the driver record when a commercial driver license holder moves to another state, and responding to requests for driver status and history.

Up until 2022, states paid fees to the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators (AAMVA) to operate the system. However, a statutory review by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), which oversees CDLIS, found that fees cannot legally go to AAMVA under current law. If not addressed, FMCSA will be forced to operate the program with limited available resources. This bipartisan bill would reinstate the previous funding structure through AAMVA to protect this critical system and ensure FMCSA is not forced to reallocate federal tax-payer dollars away from its own safety priorities to support CDLIS.

“AAMVA applauds the Senate for taking this crucial action on behalf of the states,” said Ian Grossman, AAMVA President and CEO. “The Strengthening the Commercial Driver’s License Information System Act provides the states with assurances that commercial motor vehicle safety is a priority and that the necessary continuity in preserving safety on the nation’s roadways will be achieved. By moving this legislation, Congress reinforces the lifesaving role states play when they identify and take action against convicted drivers that should not be operating commercial vehicles under any circumstances. AAMVA thanks the Senate for its action in maintaining the essential elements of roadway safety, of which CDLIS plays an integral role.”

Specifically, the CDLIS Act would codify existing processes for the administration of the CDLIS in three ways:

• Authorizes the Department of Transportation to select a qualified entity to operate, collect fees for, and use fees to maintain CDLIS. The operator would remain AAMVA, and the Department of Transportation would not be charged a fee to use CDLIS.
• Clarifies that fees paid by states would go toward the purpose of operating, maintaining, developing, modernizing, or enhancing the information system.
• Ensures that the Department of Transportation is not charged for accessing CDLIS and receives quarterly reports on fee statements.

This bipartisan bill is supported by the AAMVA, American Trucking Associations, and the National Safety Council.