Hazmat changes await dot action

The Department of Transportation announced last month that until the department can issue new regulations, states should continue to use their existing procedures for renewing old – and issuing new – commercial driver’s licenses that allow drivers to transport hazardous materials. In late October, President Bush signed into law the USA PATRIOT Act of 2001, an anti-terrorism law that prohibits states from issuing or renewing such CDLs unless DOT has first determined that the applicant does not pose a security risk. The law also requires that the Department of Justice perform a background check on anyone requesting a license or renewal to transport hazardous materials.