Comments on Proposed CDL Testing & CDL Learner's Permit Standards Due May 23rd 
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) announced a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM), in the April 9 Federal Register, that revises commercial driver's license (CDL) knowledge and skills testing standards and requires new federal minimum standards for states to issue commercial learner's permits (CLP). The NPRM addresses many of the shortcomings of current CDL testing standards and minimum age requirements. Some of the requirements include:
- Successful completion of knowledge prior to issuance of a CLP
- All CDL applicants to have CLP for 30 days before applying for a CDL
- All CLP applicants be at least 18 years old before applying for a CLP
- Increased documentation requirements for CDL and CLP applicants to demonstrate legal presence
- Increased fraud prevention measures to be implemented by the state driver's licensing agencies
Comments must be submitted by June 9, 2008. View the Federal Register notice for submission details. On April 16 AAMVA distributed a matrix to assist states in evaluating the rule. Please e-mail Karen Morton or Pam Walker a copy of your jurisdiction’s comments for the record by May 23, 2008, so AAMVA can use the jurisdiction comments as the basis for the Association comments for the docket.
DHS Releases "Immigration Enforcement Actions: 2006"
Each year, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) undertakes immigration enforcement actions involving hundreds of thousands of foreign nationals. These actions include the arrest, detention, return, and removal from the United States of foreign nationals who are in violation of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA). These violations include engaging in violent crime, document fraud, terrorist activity, and drug smuggling. Responsibility for the enforcement of immigration law within DHS rests with U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). CBP is responsible for the inspections of all arriving persons and conveyances at ports of entry and the deterrence or apprehension of illegal immigrants between ports of entry. ICE is responsible for enforcing immigration laws within the interior of the United States. View the recently released publication, "
Immigration Enforcement Actions: 2006," online today.
Identity Theft Enforcement & Restitution Act of 2008
The Identity Theft Enforcement and Restitution Act of 2008 (
HR 6060) was introduced in the House on May 14, 2008. The bill is intended to amend title 18, United States Code, to enable increased federal prosecution of identity theft crimes and to allow for restitution to victims of identity theft. The bill has been referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
New Bill Introduced To Provide Tax Relief for Obtaining TWIC
A bill (HR 5991) was introduced in the House on May 7 to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to provide tax relief for obtaining transportation worker identification credentials (TWIC).
View the text of the legislation for more details.
Stand To! Army Focuses on Motorcycle Safety
The Army continues to aggressively focus on motorcycle safety. As we enter the 101 critical days of summer, lasting from Memorial Day through Labor Day, emphasis on motorcycle awareness reaches across the force. On May 2-3, the Army hosted the 2nd annual National Capital Region Joint Service Motorcycle Safety event at the Pentagon where key leaders from each service re-emphasized the need for both riders and vehicle drivers to maintain their safety vigilance on the roads. The event included 35 informational booths with vendors showcasing the latest in safety technology and personal protective equipment. Additionally, approximately 150 motorcycles stood on display while participants engaged in activities including riding challenges, demonstrations and competitions focused on safe and responsible riding. For information on the 2008 National Capital Region Joint Service Motorcycle Safety event and motorcycle awareness tools, tips and safety personnel contacts, visit the
Army’s Motorcycle Mentorship Web site. While the Army continues to support the growing number of Motorcycle Mentorship Programs at installation, new initiatives and awareness tools are forthcoming this fiscal year to include a new sportsbike training course. The Army is preparing to implement a training course specifically designed for sport bike riders. This course is designed for the military by the Motorcycle Safety Foundation in conjunction with the U.S. Navy with Army assistance. For information on motorcycle and driving safety tools and practices, visit the "
U.S. Army Combat Readiness/Safety Center Web site."
Our Condolences to the Idaho Transportation Department
David Hall, a loved and respected member of the Idaho Transportation Department's (ITD) IT team, recently passed away. Hall was passionate about his work and took great pride in what he did for ITD. He was an excellent employee and a sincere and genuine person. Idaho was one of the first states to be compliant with the Motor Carrier Safety Improvement Act (MCSIA)—due in great part to Hall's efforts. He assisted Utah in becoming MCSIA compliant, which they formally recognized and thanked him for. He was also recognized by AAMVA as a national expert on Driver Services systems and was their 'go-to guy', known to solve problems no one else could. He was a key player in the Mainframe Migration project and most recently County Front-End Replacement (CFER). He was also the site expert on AAMVAnet. Dave will be missed and we send our condolences to everyone who knew and loved him.
DHS Awards $844 Million to Secure Nation's Critical Infrastructure
On May 16 the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced more than $844 million in grant awards as part of its Infrastructure Protection Activities (IPA) grant program. Grant awards will strengthen security at ports and enhance transit, trucking and intercity bus systems. Funds provided will be used to prevent, protect against, respond to and recover from terrorist attacks, major disasters and other emergencies. Fiscal Year 2008 IPA awards represent a 29 percent increase from last year. IPA grants reinforce the department's approach to risk-based funding and commitment to regional planning and security coordination. The department considered the threat, vulnerability and consequences of an attack on critical infrastructure as well as the effectiveness of proposed solutions in making grant determinations. The risk-based methodology is consistent across IPA programs and is aligned with methodology used to determine eligibility for core DHS state and local grant programs. For the list of individual grants and further IPA information, please visit
www.dhs.gov. View the
press release for more details about the grant awards.
NHTSA Corrects VIN Requirements Final Rule
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) published in the
Federal Register of April 30, 2008, a final rule making certain changes in the 17-character vehicle identification number (VIN) system so that the system will remain viable for at least another 30 years. The regulatory text of the final rule contained several typographical errors, which are corrected in
May 16 Federal Register notice. In addition, this document makes clear that all motor vehicles identified by their manufacturer as model year (MY) 2009 or earlier vehicles must comply with the current Part 565 VIN requirements (which are set forth in subpart C of Part 565 of the final rule). The effective date of the final rule as corrected is May 16, 2008.
North Dakota & Nebraska in Production with DIAEP
North Dakota and Nebraska have successfully completed the Digital Image Access and Exchange Program (DIAEP) structured testing and migrated the DIAEP functionality into production on May 15, 2008. The two jurisdictions are now actively exchanging driver's license photos in a production environment with these jurisdictions: Arizona, the District of Columbia, Idaho, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, South Dakota and Virginia. Funding for the DIAEP is provided by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and will be available through December 2008. For information on the DIAEP, contact AAMVA's Paul Blanchard
via e-mail or at (703) 908-5780. Congratulations to North Dakota and Nebraska for a job well done!
NTSB Safety Recommendations Now Available Through RSS Feeds
On May 13, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) announced the
launch of its Real Simple Syndication (RSS) interface for its Web site:
www.ntsb.gov. RSS technology allows Web publishers, such as the NTSB, to identify and collect specially marked Web content (known as RSS feeds), and make that content available to any subscriber without requiring the manual monitoring of the publisher's Web site to view it. Currently the NTSB distributes its news releases, safety recommendations and employment opportunities at the Board through the Board's automated electronic email list manager. The new NTSB RSS feeds mirror this content using direct links to RSS-enabled Web sites, rather than e-mail. In order to access the NTSB's RSS feeds, interested subscribers must first select and set up an RSS reader, or news aggregator, which is special Web-based or desktop software that aggregates syndicated Web content. The reader can be downloaded onto a computer or be hosted on an RSS-enabled browser with a built-in aggregator. After selecting an RSS reader, the subscriber then selects the NTSB RSS feeds of his or her choice. The subscriber's RSS reader will regularly check the RSS-enabled Web pages for new and updated content and retrieve the data for the subscriber. More information about RSS technology, news aggregators, and instructions about how to subscribe to an NTSB RSS feed may be found at
http://www.ntsb.gov/RSS/rss.htm.
Resolution Supporting Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month
A resolution (
H.Res. 339) was introduced in the House on April 26 supporting the goals of Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month.
The resolution was referred to the Subcommittee on Highways and Transit on April 27 and will be on the House floor on May 19.
NHTSA Administrator Urges 15-Passenger Van Users to Drive with Caution this Summer
New research from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has found June through August to be the deadliest time of year for 15-passenger van occupants, due to rollover crashes. Statistics show that 31 percent of fatal rollovers involving 15-passenger vans occur during the busy summer travel months. NHTSA Administrator Nicole R. Nason is urging all 15-passenger van users to take appropriate safety precautions when taking to the road during this busy travel season. NHTSA data shows a significant increase in rollover risk when the van is fully loaded with drivers and passengers. In 2006, 50 percent of occupant fatalities that occurred were in fully loaded vans. Fifty-nine percent of those killed were unbelted. Other factors that contribute to rollover incidents include improperly inflated tires, poor tire condition and inexperienced drivers. Owners should follow manufacturers’ recommendations for replacing old tires because tires may become less safe after a certain period of time, even if they have adequate tread and proper inflation. Overall statistics show the number of deaths in 15-passenger van rollover crashes has been declining steadily since 2001. However, these vehicles still pose a safety risk to occupants, claiming the lives of 58 people in accidents in 2006. For more information about 15-passenger van safety visit
www.safercar.gov Checkpoint Changes to Improve Security and Calm Process
One of the biggest complaints the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) receives comes from the thousands of people inconvenienced on a daily basis because they have a name similar to someone on a watch list. These passengers always have to go to the ticket counter and can never print their boarding pass from a home computer or airline kiosk. Until TSA's Secure Flight program comes into effect in early 2009, the airlines have the responsibility of matching names on flight manifests to watch lists. To eliminate the false positives and reduce the inconvenience to passengers, the Department of Homeland Security is now providing airlines with more flexibility to enable passengers to check in remotely. Effective April 28, every airline will be able to create a system to verify and securely store passengers' dates of birth to clear up watch list misidentifications. Once the airlines create their systems, passengers have the option to provide their date of birth first at the airline ticket counter, and then have it stored in a secure system so they can check-in online or at remote kiosks for future flights.
More information is available on TSA's Web site.
AAMVA Homepage Gets a New Look: Tell Us What You Think
We have changed the section on the homepage that featured buttons that linked to information based on audience type. These buttons are now sorted by subject matter (topics of interest to our members). We would like to know what you think about this new feature and other features on the Web site. Please take a few minutes to respond to our
Web Evaluation Survey. Your input is important to us and will help us improve the Web site.
AAMVA Staff Attends Aging Driver Mobility Forum
Thomas Manuel, AAMVA's Driver Fitness Program Director, attended "The Aging Driver Mobility Forum," cosponsored by the Ministry of Transportation, Insurance Bureau of Canada, Ontario Secretariat and the Ontario Safety League and held in Toronto, Ontario, Canada on May 8 - 9, 2008. Please
view trip report for full details.
Share Information with Other Jurisdictions
If you haven’t already done so, please respond to the following surveys.
Don't Miss Out on Free Online NMVTIS Training!
AAMVA University is offering free training for the AAMVA membership via
http://aamva.webroom.com. NMVTIS 101 provides participants with an overview of the National Motor Vehicle Title Information System (NMVTIS). The course describes issues of vehicle titling without NMVTIS; NMVTIS benefits to MVAs, law enforcement and consumers; why NMVTIS is mandatory; how NMVTIS works; NMVTIS data along with who provides and receives it; the recommended development approach; and how AAMVA can support your state's development and post-implementation efforts. Visit
http://aamva.webroom.com, register onto the training site and self enroll in NMVTIS 101 today!
Join us in Tampa this Fall
The 2008 Fall Workshop takes place Oct. 27-30, in Tampa, Florida at the Hyatt Regency Tampa. Agenda and program information will be available soon! Find out first—
sign up for e-mails on Workshop Updates today!
IRP, Inc. Membership Accounting & Technology Director Position
IRP, Inc. currently has an opening for a Membership Accounting and Technology Director. This position is based out of the IRP, Inc. headquarters in Arlington, VA. Please
click here to view the job notice for further details and application instructions.
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