AAMVA Requests Extension for CDL Testing & Commercial Learner's Permit Standards 
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 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. E-mail Karen Morton or Pam Walker a copy of your jurisdiction’s comments for the record so AAMVA can use the jurisdiction comments as the basis for the Association comments for the docket. On May 22, AAMVA submitted a request for extension of the comment period. This request was made after several member jurisdictions expressed concern that the comment period did not provide sufficient time to accomplish a thorough review of the NPRM. AAMVA has not received a response to this request, however, a response is anticipated this week.
TSA Reminds Summer Travelers of the Three Simple Steps to Security
As the summer travel season begins, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) reminds travelers that coming to the checkpoint prepared for the security process will lead to shorter lines and less travel stress. Passengers can actively improve the security process by being ready. Following these three steps will help everyone get through the security process faster: (1) Show ID and boarding pass, (2) take out liquids (in a baggie) and laptops, and (3) take off shoes and jackets. View the
TSA press release for more details.
Commercial Truck Fuel Savings Demonstration Act
The Commercial Truck Fuel Savings Demonstration Act of 2008 (
S 3059) was introduced in the Senate on May 22. The bill's intent is to permit commercial trucks to use certain highways of the Interstate System to provide significant savings in the transportation of goods throughout the United States, and for other purposes. The bill has been read twice and referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works.
View the text of the legislation online.
EAC Awards Five States $10 Million to Improve Election Data Collection
The U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC) will award five states $2 million each to improve the collection of precinct-level data in the November 2008 election. This marks the first time the federal government will issue grants to states to improve federal elections data. The winning states--Illinois, Minnesota, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin--will use the funds to develop methods and procedures for collecting data that other states and jurisdictions can replicate. The EAC will include this data in its biennial Election Day Survey, a comprehensive report on how Americans vote in federal elections. The EAC's
2004 and 2006 Election Day Surveys include statistics on key election issues such as voter turnout and registration, overvotes and undervotes, poll workers, and voting equipment and machines, among other topics. Ten states applied for the
Election Data Collection grants, and winners were selected through an independent review process. The
Omnibus Appropriations Act for fiscal year 2008 and Public Law 110-161 authorize the EAC to distribute the grants. The Act also requires states to submit data they collect to the EAC by March 2009. In turn, the EAC is required to evaluate the grant program's overall success, and provide Congress recommendations for changes to federal laws and regulations to improve the collection of data. Additional information about the program is available in the
grant announcement.
FMCSA Requests Revision of ICR: Licensing Applications for Motor Carrier Operating Authority
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) seeks approval to revise an information collection request (ICR) entitled, "Licensing Applications for Motor Carrier Operating Authority," that is used by for-hire motor carriers of regulated commodities, motor passenger carriers, freight forwarders, property brokers, and certain Mexico-domiciled motor carriers to register their operations with the FMCSA. The agency invites public comment on the ICR on or before July 28, 2008. More details are available in the
May 28 Federal Register notice.
Federal Grants Available
Several federal grants are accepting applications:
Go to Grants.gov for more federal grants.
DHS Posts New REAL ID Q&A for States
New questions and answers for states have been posted on the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Web site at
http://www.dhs.gov/xprevprot/programs/gc_1212067179104.shtm. DHS has listed questions and answers for states regarding REAL ID development, grant funding, compliance and illegal aliens.
Acceptable Identification at the Checkpoint
As of May 26, 2008, adult passengers (over the age of 18) are now required to show a U.S. federal or state-issued photo ID that contains the following: name, date of birth, gender, expiration date and a tamper-resistant feature. Non-US/Canadian citizens are not required to carry their passports if they have documents issued by the U.S. government such as Permanent Resident Cards. Those who do not should be carrying their passports while visiting the U.S. This standardization of the list of accepted documents better aligns the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) with other Department of Homeland Security (DHS) components, including Customs and Border Protection, and REAL ID benchmarks. View samples of
acceptable documents here.
Seatbelt Use Focus of 2008 International Roadcheck
The annual CVSA International Roadcheck event scheduled for June 3–5, 2008 will focus on the use of safety belts by commercial vehicle drivers. The three-day safety blitz involves about 10,000 federal, state and local law enforcement officers conducting commercial vehicle safety inspections at 1,500 sites throughout the United States, Canada and Mexico. The annual Roadcheck event, sponsored by the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), has proven over the past several years to be successful in efforts to improve safety and save lives on the highways by getting unsafe vehicles off the road. During Roadcheck in 2007, a record 62,370 truck and bus inspections were conducted with 30,320 issued CVSA decals indicating the vehicles passed all aspects of the Level 1 inspection. Data from the event showed the number of vehicles placed out of service decreased to 21.5 percent from 21.7 percent the previous year. However, the number of drivers placed out of service increased to its highest level since 1999, with hours-of-service violations, a particular focus of the event, accounting for the bulk of the problems.
Press Event: Vehicle Roof Crush Safety Standards News Conference
People Safe in Rollovers Foundation will hold a news conference on June 3 at 10:00am to discuss how the "National Highway Safety Traffic Administration's (NHTSA) safety standard for roof crush resistance has been a total failure for the past 35 years," and that "NHTSA's proposed rule is not only grossly inadequate but grants preemption from liability for automakers - precluding injured rollover victims from seeking justice and compensation in court." The conference will be held in the Lisagor Room at the National Press Club (529 14th Street, NW, Washington, DC). Forensic pathologist Joseph Burton, People Safe in Rollovers founder Paula Lawlor, and auto safety expert Byron Bloch will be participating in the event. For more information, contact Sabina Clarke at (215) 908-7960 or
sabinapatti@yahoo.com.
AAMVA University Announces Advanced Training Courses
AAMVA University is excited to announce an advanced series of training courses beginning July 10.
- July 10: 3-Year Calculations of Serious Violations
- July 15: Advanced ACD
- July 17: Improving Data Quality
- July 22: Error Detection and Resolution
- July 24: FEWS Basics
- July 29: FEWS Advanced
- July 31: FEWS: Jurisdiction Administration
- Aug. 5: UNI Basics
- Aug. 7: UNI Advanced A
- Aug. 12: UNI Advanced B
All classes are conducted with live instructors via the web and held on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 2 to 4pm (EDT). There is no fee for AAMVA members. To view course descriptions, go to the training portal at http://aamva.webroom.com. To attend a class each student must be registered on the site and enrolled in each course (there is self-registration/enrollment on the home page of the portal). If you have questions or difficulty with your previous log-in ID, e-mail trainer@aamva.org (please do not create another log-in ID).
New Mexico in Production with Digital Image Access & Exchange Program
New Mexico has successfully completed the Digital Image Access and Exchange Program (DIAEP) structured testing and migrated the DIAEP functionality into production on May 29, 2008. New Mexico is now actively exchanging driver's license photos in a production environment with these jurisdictions: Arizona, the District of Columbia, Idaho, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Nebraska, North Dakota, 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 New Mexico for a job well done!
Commercial Vehicle Safety Award Nominations Accepted
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has announced the awarding of a grant aimed at improving highway safety involving commercial vehicles. The grant, awarded to AAMVA, focuses on reducing fatalities in work zones, increasing enforcement in rural areas, and recognizing individuals or agencies that have succeeded in improving highway safety in commercial vehicles. The grant creates, educates and promotes awards to those entities who achieve specific goals of improving highway safety. The program includes the presentation of the awards at AAMVA’s Annual Conference and recognition of those awards in appropriate national publications. Visit the
AAMVA Law Enforcement Web site for more information. Download a copy of the
nomination form and criteria here.
Blog: "The Green Flag is About to Drop"
"OK, so maybe I should explain some of the 'racing' motif I have inserted into the blogs about the soon-to-hit-the- road 'I Believe' religious specialty plate in South Carolina..." Read Jason King's entire blog at:
http://blog.aamva.org/2008/05/30/the-checkered-flag-is-about-to-drop.aspxFraudulent Document Recognition Training Scheduled for August
AAMVA University will conduct Fraudulent Document Recognition (FDR) Level II Training from Aug. 19 to 22 in Columbus, Ohio. This four-day course demonstrates how participants can contribute to fraud prevention efforts. The course combines the material from FDR Level I with a more in-depth look at covert security features. Participants will engage in hands-on experience evaluating various documents using UV lights and magnification loupes to build awareness of altered and counterfeited documents. There is no pre-requisite for this course. For more information, visit the events section of
www.aamva.org or contact Linda Honig at
lhonig@aamva.org or (866) 908-8270.
The cut-off for discounted hotel rates is July 17.Mary Peters to Join AAMVA in Orlando
Mary Peters, Secretary of the U.S. Department of Transportation, will join AAMVA at the Annual International Conference (AIC) in Orlando, Florida. AAMVA will be celebrating 75 years of safety and security. The AIC will take place from Aug. 24 to 27, 2008 at Rosen Shingle Creek in Orlanda. Program and registration information is now available on the
AIC Web site.
Martha Irwin Distinguished Service Award for Highway Safety - Deadline Approaches
The deadline for submitting nominations for the 2008 Martha Irwin Distinguished Service Award for Highway Safety is
July 1. The AAMVA Martha Irwin Distinguished Service Award for Safety is presented annually to a member law enforcement jurisdiction, or an individual or organization whose primary function is directly associated with highway and traffic safety efforts. AAMVA member jurisdiction organizations and their employees, whose primary function is motor vehicle or highway safety, are eligible. Nominees will be recognized for actions and programs undertaken after Jan. 1, 1998. Interested jurisdictional members are encouraged to submit nominations to their chief motor vehicle or chief law enforcement administrator who will then submit one nominee per jurisdictional agency to AAMVA headquarters.
Download the nomination forms from the AAMVA website. For more information, contact Selden Fritschner, VP Law Enforcement, (703) 908-5855 or
sfritschner@aamva.org.
Evaluate AAMVA's Web Site
AAMVA has changed the section on the homepage that featured buttons linking to information based on audience type. These buttons are now sorted by subject matter (topics of interest to members). What do 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 the association and will help improve the Web site.
Summer 2008 Move ... Get It Online Now!
Check out the summer 2008 issue of Move magazine online now! Read the latest features, browse online supplements and more! Don't miss the latest information and lessons learned from your peers. Want to see your photo on the cover of Move magazine? Submit a photo that depicts the theme for each issue of Move. The deadline for the AIC issue is June 25, and the theme is "Celebrating 75 Years of Safety and Security." Visit Move online for more details on the cover photo competition. Online access is a member benefit. You will need your user ID and password.
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