Fast Trucking ComplianceCompliance FAQ
What disqualifies a driver from getting a CDL?
Federal disqualifications under 49 CFR §383.51 include a DUI/OUI conviction in any vehicle (one-year ban; lifetime if it occurred while operating a CMV transporting hazmat), refusal to submit to a chemical test (one-year minimum), leaving the scene of a CMV accident, using a CMV in commission of a felony (lifetime if drug-trafficking-related), and three serious traffic violations within three years (excessive speed, reckless driving, improper lane change, following too close, driving without a CDL or appropriate class). Medical disqualifiers under 49 CFR §391.41 include uncontrolled epilepsy, vision worse than 20/40 in either eye uncorrected for the corrected eye standard, hearing loss below the 5-foot whisper test, and uncontrolled diabetes without an exemption. State-level disqualifiers vary - most states reject applicants under 18 (intrastate) or 21 (interstate), with felony convictions in past five years, or with active warrants or unpaid child support.
Why it matters
Disqualifiers travel with the driver across state lines via CDLIS - the Commercial Driver License Information System operated by AAMVA. A DUI in any state surfaces instantly when a driver applies in another. The same is true for refusal to submit; a refusal in any state attaches to the CDLIS record permanently.
Carriers must run pre-employment MVRs from every state the driver has been licensed in over the past three years (49 CFR §391.23) plus an FMCSA Drug & Alcohol Clearinghouse query (49 CFR Part 382 Subpart G). The Clearinghouse query catches drug-and-alcohol disqualifications that are not yet on the MVR - return-to-duty failures, refusals, and positive tests reported within the past three years.
Felony exemption pathways exist for some applicants through state-level rehabilitation certificates and FMCSA hardship exemptions, but the case must be made on a per-driver basis with documentation.