is YOUR license valid?

[SamIam_Murphy]

Here is some information every newer trucker needs to know:
A freind of mine went to a truck driving school in a different state from where your permanent residence is located -- My friend went to a truck driving school in Wisconsin and but lives in Illinois. They had them all surrender their lesser and former driver's licenses to the state of Wisconsin. So, when my friend returned to Illinois he had a Wisconsin driver's license (Class A-CDL).
Wisconsin was supposed to return the lllinois to the State of Illinois - Secretary of State's office. Well to make a long story short: he got back to Illinois before his former license did and he went and surrendered the Wisconsin license and got an Illinois Class A-CDL. That was a bad thing. When the state of Illinois got his old license that he had surrendered in Wisconsin they just decided that he did not have a valid driver's license at all.
So, for a couple of years!! my friend was driving around in tractor/trailers and automobiles and his license
was not valid.

Yes, it was a weird technicality and it was certainly not his fault. The Secretary of State's office in Illinois is aware that this occurs, but that does not change the fact that my friend now has this on his record.

It is possible for you to check the "status" of your own driver's license. Call the Secretary of State or Department of Motor Vehicles in your home state and ask them to check your license for you.

Thank God that my friend's boss is a person who understands that research must be done before conclusions are made. He still has his job, which is not truck driving, but does require a Class A-CDL, and the ability to drive anything from the tractor-trailer to the company car.

[Myth_Buster]

I went to a truck driving school in Wisconsin and I live in Illinois. They had us all surrender our lesser
and former driver's licenses to the state of Wisconsin.

As required by law, you may only possess one drveir's license at a time. One CDL is mandated by the FMCSR:

Subpart B—Single license requirement
§383.21 Number of drivers’ licenses.

No person who operates a commercial motor vehicle shall at any time have more than one driver’s license.

So, when I returned to Illinois I had a Wisconsin
driver's license (Class A-CDL).

Valid for 30 days:

Subpart B—Single license requirement
§383.23 Commercial driver’s license.

(a)(2) Except as provided in paragraph (b) of this section, no person may legally operate a CMV unless such person possesses a CDL which meets the standards contained in subpart J of this part, issued by his/her State or jurisdiction of domicile.

New Residents

Drivers moving to Illinois from out of state may use their valid driver’s license from their
home state for 90 days. To receive an Illinois driver’s license, you must visit a Driver
Services facility and provide acceptable forms of identification (see pages 6-8). New residents
must surrender all out-of-state licenses and/or ID cards, pass a vision screening,
a written exam and, possibly, a driving exam.

Note: Residents who hold a valid CDL must obtain a corrected driver’s license within 30
days of a change of name or address and must notify the Secretary of State within 10
days of any change.

http://www.cyberdriveillinois.com/pu...s/dsd_a112.pdf

Well to make a long story short: I got back to Illinois before my former
license did and I went and got my Illinois Class A-CDL. That was a bad thing. When the state of Illinois
got my old license that I had surrendered in Wisconsin they just decided that I did not have a valid
driver's license at all.
So, for nearly 2-1/2 years!! I was driving around in tractor/trailers and automobiles and my license
was not valid.

Did you work for the same employer for those 2.5 years? If so were they pulling an annual MVR to ensure you had a valid CDL? If not did new and prospective employers pull an MVR to determine whether you had a CDL?

Sounds like some short cuts were taken and people didn't do their job.

Be safe.

[SamIam_Murphy]

yes, the involved parties are well aware of the law stating that a person may have only one driver's license at a time. that was always the case in this story.

perhaps if 30 days had gone by, after returning to Illinois, this may not have caused the problem. in other words, maybe if 25 or up to 30 days had gone by the former license would have reached the Illinois officials and the whole mess would never have occurred.

it was a couple of different employers over a couple of years. no MVR was done at time of hire. the employer is not a trucking company. some of their vehicles for the business happen to be those which require a Class A-CDL. this is not OTR trucking in any way.
But it is true that it would have averted a mess if only someone had run an MVR and asked the appropriate questions long ago. There are more CDL holders in the company now. Great effort is being made to comply with regulations and laws.

[Myth_Buster]

it was a couple of different employers over a couple of years. no MVR was done at time of hire. the employer is not a trucking company. some of their vehicles for the business happen to be those which require a Class A-CDL. this is not OTR trucking in any way.
But it is true that it would have averted a mess if only someone had run an MVR and asked the appropriate questions long ago. There are more CDL holders in the company now. Great effort is being made to comply with regulations and laws.

The rules for pulling an MVR start at 10,001 pounds:

Commercial motor vehicle means any self-propelled or towed motor vehicle used on a highway in interstate commerce to transport passengers or property when the vehicle—

(1) Has a gross vehicle weight rating or gross combination weight rating, or gross vehicle weight or gross combination weight, of 4,536 kg (10,001 pounds) or more, whichever is greater; or

(2) Is designed or used to transport more than 8 passengers (including the driver) for compensation; or

(3) Is designed or used to transport more than 15 passengers, including the driver, and is not used to transport passengers for compensation; or

(4) Is used in transporting material found by the Secretary of Transportation to be hazardous under 49 U.S.C. 5103 and transported in a quantity requiring placarding under regulations prescribed by the Secretary under 49 CFR, subtitle B, chapter I, subchapter C.

CDL's drive D & A testing. Threshold for log books, annual inspections, driver qualification, and maintenance is much lower.

Be safe.

[Windwalker]

New Residents

Drivers moving to Illinois from out of state may use their valid driver’s license from their
home state for 90 days. To receive an Illinois driver’s license, you must visit a Driver
Services facility and provide acceptable forms of identification (see pages 6-8). New residents
must surrender all out-of-state licenses and/or ID cards, pass a vision screening,
a written exam and, possibly, a driving exam.

Note: Residents who hold a valid CDL must obtain a corrected driver’s license within 30
days of a change of name or address and must notify the Secretary of State within 10
days of any change.

Realizing that this is a direct quote from IL REGs, I'm afraid that the State has dillusions of grandure. Watch the drivers from the State of IL and wonder where most of them ever got a driver's license in the first place. When I lived in WI, a majority of accidents on Wisconsin's highways involved IL drivers. There have been far more "explatives" used on them then to simply say they are "SUICIDAL". In general, IL drivers are among the most dangerous on the highways. They take some of the most dangerous chances of any, including passing on a two-lane highway with on-comming traffic. And, then, IL has the GUTS to require retesting for drivers that come in from out of state?????

A good place to be from... About as far away from as you can get... The problem is, no matter how far away you get, they always seem to find you. Just yesterday afternoon, there were two IL drivers that collided on 19 in FL... No one else involved.

[SamIam_Murphy]

dude, it's Illinois,....have you ever paid attention to Illinois politics? that retesting of new residents was just some politician trying to get some votes.

[Windwalker]

dude, it's Illinois,....have you ever paid attention to Illinois politics? that retesting of new residents was just some politician trying to get some votes.

And, if they were really interested in safety on the highway, they would begin RETESTING their own citizens every 2 years... And, taking driving priveledges away from any that don't pass.

[hewithoutname]

I'm not extremely familiar with CDL testing, but I do know that Illinois is one of several states that do not accept out-of-state CDL testing. In other words, his friend that lived in Illinois, but went to school in Wisconsin is okay, but in order to make that a valid CDL with Illinois he would have had to complete their CDL testing. I see this quite often with new hires who are not aware of their state's rules. If you are reading this forum and are thinking about attending a driving school out-of-state be sure and check with your state of residence and make sure you will be able to comply with their rules BEFORE you leave for that school. Just a couple of quotes from the Illinois rules, "Requiring commercial drivers from out-of-state to pass the Illinois Commercial Drivers License (CDL) test prior to licensure" and "Requiring third party testing entities to maintain a rating issued by the U.S. Department of Transportation of at least satisfactory or conditional. Any third party entity that has received an unsatisfactory rating from U.S. Department of Transportation shall be prohibited from conducting third party testing pending a subsequent U.S. Department of Transportation rating of satisfactory or conditional."

[SamIam_Murphy]

It still does not seem to be completely clear. The person whose license is in question did take CDL tests in Illinois before being issued a Class-A CDL in Illinois.

Is the new rule that you must undergo ALL CDL testing --including the vehicle inspection and road test in Illinois?


At any rate, the license was not invalid. The Illinois Secretary of State office confirmed that the person
indeed had a valid Class-A CDL the entire time. It was "only" an administrative "glitch".

"Only a glitch" that cost one driver $909 to clear the name and get on with life and livelyhood.
And hopefully will not still lose the job over this anyway.

[Fredog]

I'm sure my license is valid, the guy at walmart guaranteed it

[Creek Jackson]

It still does not seem to be completely clear. The person whose license is in question did take CDL tests in Illinois before being issued a Class-A CDL in Illinois.

Is the new rule that you must undergo ALL CDL testing --including the vehicle inspection and road test in Illinois?


At any rate, the license was not invalid. The Illinois Secretary of State office confirmed that the person
indeed had a valid Class-A CDL the entire time. It was "only" an administrative "glitch".

"Only a glitch" that cost one driver $909 to clear the name and get on with life and livelyhood.
And hopefully will not still lose the job over this anyway.

Why did it cost $909 if it was valid the entire time?

[SamIam_Murphy]

well, let's see,... there was the arrest, so bail money, the car was towed and there was an extra 50 to get it out of impound at 10pm, there was a taxi cab ride to the impound lot, court costs, a fine to be paid, the lawyer,.... oh yeah, the DMV got some money for reissuing the license, I think that might be everything, and it totals $909. just to clear a name and to clear a permanent record

[Creek Jackson]

well, let's see,... there was the arrest, so bail money, the car was towed and there was an extra 50 to get it out of impound at 10pm, there was a taxi cab ride to the impound lot, court costs, a fine to be paid, the lawyer,.... oh yeah, the DMV got some money for reissuing the license, I think that might be everything, and it totals $909. just to clear a name and to clear a permanent record

You can be smug if you like, but your story is full of holes.

[SamIam_Murphy]

look, this happened to me. I lived it. I was in court just this morning.

The arresting officer took my driver's license away from me. It was considered to be NOT VALID.
It is a misdemeanor to be in possession of an invalid driver's license. They destroy the license.
(and don't think for one second that I did not make multiple phone calls to multiple agencies to try to settle this.)
They had no reason to believe me, who am I, after all. The only way to clear my record and get
my license back in my pocket was to appear in court. I got a lawyer, just to be sure. My lawyer
talked to the state's attorney and showed them my documentation. The state's attorney agreed
that they should drop the invalid license charge. There was more, but that is the main part of it.

They could not leave my car on the side of the road, it had to be towed.
The towing bill was over $200. I had to bail myself out of jail, that was over $100.
I had to take a taxi cab to impound, and this is all happening in a rural area, by the way.
The lawyer had to be paid. There was a fine to be paid, and court costs.
In the end it was over $900.

Tell me where you think the holes are, mr smug.

[Creek Jackson]

look, this happened to me. I lived it. I was in court just this morning.

The arresting officer took my driver's license away from me. It was considered to be NOT VALID.
It is a misdemeanor to be in possession of an invalid driver's license. They destroy the license.
(and don't think for one second that I did not make multiple phone calls to multiple agencies to try to settle this.)
They had no reason to believe me, who am I, after all. The only way to clear my record and get
my license back in my pocket was to appear in court. I got a lawyer, just to be sure. My lawyer
talked to the state's attorney and showed them my documentation. The state's attorney agreed
that they should drop the invalid license charge. There was more, but that is the main part of it.

They could not leave my car on the side of the road, it had to be towed.
The towing bill was over $200. I had to bail myself out of jail, that was over $100.
I had to take a taxi cab to impound, and this is all happening in a rural area, by the way.
The lawyer had to be paid. There was a fine to be paid, and court costs.
In the end it was over $900.

Tell me where you think the holes are, mr smug.

First its your friend, then its you.
It's valid, it's not valid.
If they dropped the charges, why is there a fine? For what?
Why the cab to the impound? Can you suddenly drive again?
You get bail money back when you appear in court.


It appears you were also charged with something else.

[SamIam_Murphy]

First its your friend, then its you.
It's valid, it's not valid.
If they dropped the charges, why is there a fine? For what?
Why the cab to the impound? Can you suddenly drive again?
You get bail money back when you appear in court.


It appears you were also charged with something else.

I said it was a friend because I was afraid for my job. why does it matter.

Why do you think they stopped me in the first place? It was not just to check my driver's license.
I was stopped for speeding. (This charge was reduced to a parking ticket, so that my CDL is clear.)
About 9 mph over the limit.

Someone met me at impound to get my car out before it would cost me more money to get it back --they charge you for the space your car occupies. and no, they could not pick me up at the jail, they live far off in another direction.

You don't just get the bail money back -there are court fees and I had to pay $75 for the other ticket.


maybe instead of just calling someone "smug" and saying their story is full of holes you could just ask your questions in the first place. sorry if you think that is "smug" or rude or whatever....

[Creek Jackson]

I said it was a friend because I was afraid for my job. why does it matter.

Why do you think they stopped me in the first place? It was not just to check my driver's license.
I was stopped for speeding. (This charge was reduced to a parking ticket, so that my CDL is clear.)
About 9 mph over the limit.

Someone met me at impound to get my car out before it would cost me more money to get it back --they charge you for the space your car occupies. and no, they could not pick me up at the jail, they live far off in another direction.

You don't just get the bail money back -there are court fees and I had to pay $75 for the other ticket.


maybe instead of just calling someone "smug" and saying their story is full of holes you could just ask your questions in the first place. sorry if you think that is "smug" or rude or whatever....

Ok,,,,,,, we're good,,,,,,let it go.

[jonp]

I'm a little confused, here. If it's a CDL then it's a federal license and not under state control. The test you take is the same everywhere in the country. Why does Il. have the right to invalidate it? When I moved from VT to NC last October I went into the DMV and gave them proof of residency and they handed me a new license. I just had to take the written test for the haz-mat endorsement over as it had been some time since I got it put on.
When I moved back to VT from Arizona 10 years ago it was the same thing, went to the DMV, gave them my license from AZ and they gave me a new one on the spot. No Problem. and my picture was better.
Isnt it the same everywhere?
Am I not understanding something here?

[kc0iv]

I'm a little confused, here. If it's a CDL then it's a federal license and not under state control. The test you take is the same everywhere in the country. Why does Il. have the right to invalidate it? When I moved from VT to NC last October I went into the DMV and gave them proof of residency and they handed me a new license. I just had to take the written test for the haz-mat endorsement over as it had been some time since I got it put on.
When I moved back to VT from Arizona 10 years ago it was the same thing, went to the DMV, gave them my license from AZ and they gave me a new one on the spot. No Problem. and my picture was better.
Isnt it the same everywhere?
Am I not understanding something here?

The CDL is NOT at federal license. It is a state license. Just look at your license.

In addition the feds change the rules.

kc0iv