BACKGROUND CHECKS REQUIRED FOR CDL HOLDERS

The new Department of Homeland Security (DHS) issued a rule, effective immediately, requiring states to conduct criminal background checks on current and prospective holders of CDL's with a HazMat endorsement. The cost of the background check is the responsibility of the CDL holder or his employer and is estimated to be a minimum of $50. State officials, not individual businesses, will conduct the background checks. Current CDL holders with a HazMat endorsement will be required to provide fingerprints to state authorities in the near future. The states will release guidance in the coming months indicating where individuals must report to submit fingerprints, perhaps including local law enforcement offices, state motor vehicle offices, or even private contractors. Fingerprints will be processed through several databases, including FBI criminal records, immigration records and international criminal records such as Interpol. In the interim, DHS will immediately begin conducting less comprehensive background checks on all CDL holders with a HazMat endorsement based on information already available in drivers license records. It is unclear, at this time, how long the background check will take, but one section of the rule suggests that the process could run as long as 90 days. The rule appears to be silent on the seasonal (also called temporary or restricted) CDL program, meaning that the program, heavily used by dealers to recruit nurse truck drivers for the busy season, would be allowed to continue to operate as before.
Courtesy ARA Retail Facts