Starting Sept. 30, new commercial driver’s license provisions will go into effect, including stiffer penalties for violations.
Rules published in the Federal Register Wednesday include a long list of CDL changes.

Driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, for example, will get you a one-year disqualification – no matter what kind of vehicle you’re driving. The same penalty applies for refusing to be tested. A second conviction leads to permanent disqualification.
CDL drivers will now face a one-year disqualification for leaving the scene of an accident, for driving with a revoked license, or for causing a death through negligent operation. The disqualification bumps up to three years if the cargo is placarded as hazmat, and to life for a second conviction. Again, these penalties apply even when the vehicle is not a commercial truck.
The rules also prescribe tougher penalties for second convictions on speeding, reckless driving, improper lane changes, even in a driver’s personal vehicle. There are also harsher penalties for violating railroad crossing laws and out of service orders. And the new rules allow up to 30 days’ disqualification if FMCSA finds that a driver is an “imminent hazard” – that he is likely to be a threat to life or property before a formal proceeding against him can be completed.
Other parts of the new rules target state procedures that have allowed scofflaw drivers to escape notice. For example, some states issue “hardship” licenses to drivers who may lose their livelihoods if their license is suspended. States will no longer be allowed to issue such licenses for drivers whose CDLs have been suspended.