Governor signs CDL licensure bill

Gov. Maura Healey today signed legislation intended to protect the pool of qualified candidates for commercial driver’s licenses and provide relief to hundreds of CDL holders who were recently deemed disqualified.

The law is expected to have a positive impact at the local level, where many of these individuals hold municipal jobs with CDL licenses as a condition of employment.

Under the terms of the law, many individuals who have experienced up to two disqualifying events prior to Sept. 30, 2005, would be able to hold a commercial driver’s license. The law also requires the Registry of Motor Vehicles to draft regulations to establish guidelines and conditions under which a lifetime disqualification may be reduced to 10 years.

Healey filed the legislation in November in response to disqualification notices sent earlier in the year to nearly 500 individual CDL holders in Massachusetts. The bill was passed by the Legislature in the final hours of the session on Dec. 31, and took effect as soon as it was signed by the governor.

The Registry of Motor Vehicles had notified the affected drivers that they would no longer be allowed to hold a CDL in Massachusetts due to disqualifying events, such as drug- or alcohol-related driving offenses, that occurred two decades or more ago. Soon afterward, the registry instituted a process allowing a brief extension and appeal process for those receiving cancellation notices.

Cities, towns and school districts rely on CDL drivers to ensure the provision of essential services, particularly in areas such as public works and public school transportation, and need to maintain the drivers they have.

The MMA supported the legislation, saying it would better align Massachusetts with federal standards and help to address the demand for CDL drivers. The MMA argued that timely passage of the bill would protect the livelihood of many of the CDL drivers who received disqualification notices, some of whom are key municipal staff members. The changes would help maintain the high standards for roadway safety, while ensuring that periods of disqualification are proportional to the nature and age of the offense.

Massachusetts CDL requirements are more stringent than the national standard. Individuals convicted of certain infractions are disqualified from holding a CDL for at least one year, and individuals who receive two convictions of the listed violations are disqualified for life.

Current law allows the RMV to draft regulations to reduce lifetime disqualifications, but the new law requires such rules to be drafted by July 1, 2025.

Drivers with convictions only occurring after Sept. 30, 2005, are not impacted by the new law and continue to be subject to all mandated disqualification periods.

Visit the Registry of Motor Vehicle website for more information.