After securing unanimous support in the Mississippi House and Senate, Gov. Tate Reeves signed House Bill 1486 on Tuesday. The bill revises Mississippi’s commercial driver’s license qualification standards that require the Commission of Public Safety to implement test waivers for currently serving military members and military veterans who have established training and experience operating heavy military vehicles.
“This legislation offers streamlined job opportunities to our soldiers and airmen serving in the Mississippi National Guard,” said Maj. Gen. Janson D. Boyles, the adjutant general of Mississippi National Guard. “It allows our service members to use their military training and experience to advance their civilian career. This is a great news story for our service members and our military families.”
HB 1486 adds waivers in testing for service members and veterans who received training during their military career, reducing the time and cost of obtaining the license and serving as an incentive to service members stationed in Mississippi to continue their military service and become a part of Mississippi’s transportation industry.
The guidance for establishing the qualification standards for a CDL is found in the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s regulations. States are required to follow these regulations when enacting their qualification standards for issuance of CDLs.
For the driving skills test waiver, a service member must be or must have been assigned a position that requires them to operate heavy military vehicles. This waiver will be available to members with at least two years of safe vehicle operation.
The knowledge test waiver will be available to those service members with one these specialties:
• Army – Motor Transport Operator (88M), Patriot Launching Station Operator (14T), Petroleum Supply Specialist (92F);
• Air Force – Ground Transportation Specialist (2T1), Fuels Specialist (2F0), Pavement and Construction Equipment Operator (3E2);
• Marine Corps – Motor Vehicle Operator (3531);
• Navy – Equipment Operator (EO)
Service members will need to provide official documentation of their military-skills specialty designation to qualify for the waiver.
The Department of Public Safety will be adopting rules and regulations necessary to implement these test waivers as soon as practical after July 1, but no later than July 1, 2023. More updates will be provided as the rules and regulations are implemented.
(0) comments
Welcome to the discussion.
Log In
Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism that is degrading to another person.
Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitness accounts, the history behind an article.