Missouri is making changes to its CDL testing process.
It’s a modernized testing standard that’s being adopted by Missouri and will be used by all CDL exam sites in the state, beginning December 4. Tom Crawford with the Missouri Trucking Association has the reason why.
“Technology changes and some of the things that you look for change, but our system and our testing was kind of stuck a little bit,” Crawford explained. “The industry kind of reached out to the folks that write the exams and that administer the exams and said is there any possibility of making some changes to adapt towards some of the technology that’s on the vehicle now.”
Federal guidelines state that the applicant must pass the pre-trip and basic skills using the same testing model to be eligible for the road test.
“Making sure that you have the skillset necessary to do a pre-trip inspection, but not necessarily failing if you don’t say the exact words or the exact kind of phrasing of what was being required,” Crawford said. Not everybody that takes the exam or that’s driving on the road has English as their first language, but doggonit, they’re really good drivers and can maneuver and get around and provide a service to our economy.”
He said that the changes are being done to stay current with advancing technologies.
“You know, we have a number of companies that are third party testers themselves and do their own testing and then there’s a lot of folks that have truck driving schools that are providing training to folks that are going to take the exam,” Crawford said. “Making sure that all of those folks have the necessary information about the changes in front of them.”
Current testing procedures will remain in effect statewide until December 1.
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