49 U.S.C. § 31308
Section 31308 · Commercial drivers license
Amended 5 times on record
Applied in 4 court decisions — leading case 133 S. Ct. 2191 - Maracich v. Spears (2013)
Most recently applied in 133 S. Ct. 2191 - Maracich v. Spears (June 2013)
How often courts cite this section
Court decisions citing this, by year.Markers show enactment, consequential amendments, and circuit splits over this section — watch for a citation surge after a change or a disagreement. The dip in the last several years is a data-coverage gap, not a real trend — our corpus holds fewer opinions from the most recent years, so recent citations are undercounted.
After consultation with the States, the Secretary of Transportation shall prescribe regulations on minimum uniform standards for the issuance of commercial drivers’ licenses and learner's permits by the States and for information to be contained on each of the licenses and permits. The standards shall require at a minimum that—
(1) an individual issued a commercial driver's license—
(A) pass written and driving tests for the operation of a commercial motor vehicle that comply with the minimum standards prescribed by the Secretary under section 31305(a); and
(B) present certification of completion of driver training that meets the requirements established by the Secretary under section 31305(c);
(2) before a commercial driver's license learner's permit may be issued to an individual, the individual must pass a written test, that complies with the minimum standards prescribed by the Secretary under section 31305(a), on the operation of the commercial motor vehicle that the individual will be operating under the permit;
(3) the license or learner's permit be tamperproof to the maximum extent practicable and each license or learner's permit issued after January 1, 2001, include unique identifiers (which may include biometric identifiers) to minimize fraud and duplication; and
(4) the license or learner's permit contain—
(A) the name and address of the individual issued the license or learner's permit and a physical description of the individual;
(B) the social security account number or other number or information the Secretary decides is appropriate to identify the individual;
(C) the class or type of commercial motor vehicle the individual is authorized to operate under the license or learner's permit;
(D) the name of the State that issued the license or learner's permit; and
(E) the dates between which the license or learner's permit is valid.
Editorial notes U.S. Code · Office of the Law Revision Counsel
Section
The words “Not later than July 15, 1988” are omitted as obsolete.
Amendments
2012—Par. (1). Pub. L. 112–141 amended par. (1) generally. Prior to amendment, par. (1) read as follows: “an individual issued a commercial driver's license pass written and driving tests for the operation of a commercial motor vehicle that comply with the minimum standards prescribed by the Secretary under section 31305(a) of this title;”.
2008—Pub. L. 110–244 amended Pub. L. 109–59, §4122(2)(A). See 2005 Amendment note below.
2005—Pub. L. 109–59, §4122(2)(B), substituted “the licenses and permits” for “the licenses” in introductory provisions.
Pub. L. 109–59, §4122(2)(A), as amended by Pub. L. 110–244, inserted “and learner's permits” after “licenses” in introductory provisions.
Par. (2). Pub. L. 109–59, §4122(2)(D), added par. (2). Former par. (2) redesignated (3).
Pars. (3), (4). Pub. L. 109–59, §4122(2)(C), (E), redesignated pars. (2) and (3) as (3) and (4), respectively, and inserted “or learner's permit” after “license” wherever appearing.
1998—Par. (2). Pub. L. 105–178 inserted before semicolon “and each license issued after January 1, 2001, include unique identifiers (which may include biometric identifiers) to minimize fraud and duplication”.
Effective Date of 2012 Amendment
Amendment by Pub. L. 112–141 effective Oct. 1, 2012, see section 3(a) of Pub. L. 112–141, set out as an Effective and Termination Dates of 2012 Amendment note under section 101 of Title 23, Highways.
Effective Date of 2008 Amendment
Amendment by Pub. L. 110–244 effective as of the date of enactment of Pub. L. 109–59 (Aug. 10, 2005) and to be treated as included in Pub. L. 109–59 as of that date, and provisions of Pub. L. 109–59, as in effect on the day before June 6, 2008, that are amended by Pub. L. 110–244 to be treated as not enacted, see section 121(b) of Pub. L. 110–244, set out as a note under section 101 of Title 23, Highways.
Deadline for Issuance of Regulations
Pub. L. 105–178, title IV, §4011(c)(2), June 9, 1998, 112 Stat. 407, provided that: “Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of this Act [June 9, 1998], the Secretary [of Transportation] shall issue regulations to carry out the amendment made by paragraph (1) [amending this section].”