• There are many qualifications drivers must meet to drive CMVs.

To be considered qualified to drive a commercial motor vehicle (CMV), drivers must:

• Be at least 21 years old;
• Be able to read and speak English well enough to:
  • Converse with the general public,
  • Understand traffic signs and signals,
  • Respond to official inquiries, and
  • Make entries on reports and records;
• Be able to safely operate the type of motor vehicle they drive, by way of experience, training, or both;
• Be physically qualified to drive a motor vehicle in accordance with the medical qualification standards in 391.41;
• Have a currently valid CMV operator’s license issued by only one driver licensing authority or jurisdiction;
• Not be disqualified to drive a motor vehicle under the rules in 391.15; and
• Have successfully completed a driver’s road test and been issued a certificate of driver’s road test (391.31), unless the employer accepts a driver’s license or previously issued certificate of road test instead (391.33).

Cargo distribution and securement

In addition to meeting the basic qualifications to operate a CMV, drivers must:

• Be able (through experience, training, or both) to determine whether the cargo they transport, including baggage in a passenger-carrying motor vehicle, has been properly located, distributed, and secured in or on the motor vehicles they drive; and
• Be familiar with methods and procedures for securing cargo in or on the motor vehicles they drive.