Oklahoma to Make CDL Testing Easier to Access

A Bill that was signed by Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt at the end of April 2023 has officially come into effect as law on November 1st. It will now be easier for future truckers in the state to get their commercial driver licenses!

Details

This new legislation does not make the testing any easier, compromising the safety on the road by allowing otherwise unqualified truckers to drive. Instead, it allows Service Oklahoma to enter into agreements with third parties to provide the written CDL test, meaning that the number of locations that will offer the written portion of the CDL test across the Sooner State is bound to increase.

New locations where the written portion of the CDL test may appear include:

• School districts.
• Higher education institutions.
• The Oklahoma Department of Career and Technology Education.
• Designated examiners for hire coming to a training fleet in question.

Currently, there is no projected number of how many additional quality CDL licenses may be granted every year as a result of this legislation, but hopefully the added access is enough to help up and coming truck drivers begin their careers on the road.

Conclusion

When people talk about remedying the purported truck driver shortage, there are a number of different angles suggested to raise the total number of drivers within the United States. No doubt cutting through burdensome red tape regulations that do not result in a decrease in the standards for the testing is a quick and easy way to move forward. Oklahoma also estimates that the legislation will essentially pay for itself, as there will be added revenue from driver license costs and similar expenses in installing proper testing terminals at approved locations.

Entities at both the state and federal have been working to increase the number of truckers. With the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration spending $48 million in grants to improve CDL training across the board, it is possible that we will see an influx of new commercial drivers as the barriers to entry start to slowly lower, without compromising the utmost standards of safety that the industry requires.

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