Bill to streamline CDL testing reintroduced

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Trucking news and briefs for Monday, Jan. 27, 2025:

Bill to streamline CDL testing reintroduced

With a new Congress comes the reintroduction of legislation that failed to gain traction during previous Congressional sessions. One such bill is the Licensing Individual Commercial Exam-Takers Now Safely and Efficiently (LICENSE) Act of 2025.

The bill has been introduced twice before and would make permanent some waivers implemented by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Introduced by Rep. Darin LaHood (R-Illinois), the LICENSE Act would allow state and third-party CDL examiners who have maintained a valid CDL test examiner certification, and have previously completed a CDL skills test examiner training course, to administer the CDL knowledge test without completing a CDL knowledge test training course.

To make the testing process more efficient and streamlined, the bill would also allow a state to administer a driving skills test to any out of state CDL applicant, regardless of where the applicant received driver training.  

Mack Defense gets big military order

Mack Defense on Jan. 23 announced that the U.S. military has ordered 103 Mack Defense M917A3 Heavy Dump Trucks (HDTs).

The additional vehicles are part of a previously announced firm-fixed price $296 million contract over seven years that the Army awarded Mack Defense in 2018, which allows for up to 683 trucks. For this new order, 74 HDTs will be purchased from the presidential budget and 29 are being purchased by the National Guard. 

Mack Defense M917A3 Heavy Dump TruckThe U.S. military placed an order for 103 new Mack Defense M917A3 Heavy Dump Trucks.Mack Trucks

The HDTs play a vital role in construction and upkeep of infrastructure assets, including airfields, roadways, landing strips, supply facilities and motor pools.

“Our military continues to field Mack HDTs into various operations around the world, so these vehicles have been put to the test and continue to meet demanding requirements,” said Dave Hartzell, president of Mack Defense.  “For that reason, the Army, Army Reserve and the Army National Guard continue to invest in these modern HDTs to ensure our soldiers have the right truck with the highest level of capabilities needed to ensure mission success.” 

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The Army previously had ordered 446 HDTs, which are based on the commercially available Mack Granite model but spec’d with heavier-duty rear axles, all-wheel drive, increased suspension ride height and other ruggedized features to meet the unique requirements of the U.S. military.

The Mack Granite HDT model features advanced technology including ABS, modern control interfaces for user-friendly operation, and active safety systems.