Federal Register #2026-20046

FMCSA Denies Agri-Tech Aviation Request to Allow Unaccompanied CLP Drivers

FMCSA denied Agri-Tech Aviation’s request for an exemption from commercial driver’s license supervision requirements. - Government agency: U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA). - Applicant: Agri-Tech Aviation. - Requested change: Allow commercial learner’s permit (CLP) holders who passed the CDL skills test to drive the company’s commercial motor vehicles without a CDL holder riding in the passenger seat. - Decision and rationale: FMCSA found that the application did not provide enough information to show the proposed arrangement would maintain an equivalent or greater level of safety. - Notable safety concern: The vehicles could transport hazardous materials, including jet fuel and crop-protection products. Some loads require placarding, while CLP holders cannot obtain the required hazardous-materials CDL endorsement. - Procurement: No products or services are requested, and no OEMs or procurement vendors are identified.

Description

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration denied Agri-Tech Aviation's application for an exemption. The exemption would have allowed the company's commercial learner's permit holders, after passing the CDL skills test but before obtaining a CDL, to drive its commercial motor vehicles without a CDL holder in the passenger seat. FMCSA found insufficient information to determine that the proposed exemption would provide an equivalent or greater level of safety. The agency cited concerns including potential transport of hazardous materials without appropriate safety countermeasures.

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