Amid scrutiny from the U.S. Department of Transportation, Minnesota's Director of Driver and Vehicle Services (DVS), Pong Xiong, has offered a strong response to a federal audit centered on the state's issuance of non-domiciled commercial driver's licenses (CDLs). According to a statement obtained by the Minnesota Department of Public Safety, Director Xiong addressed the concerns, stating, "Driver and Vehicle Services (DVS) takes our role in issuing commercial driver’s licenses and keeping Minnesota roads safe very seriously."
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) sent letters to Minnesota and other states, bringing attention to possible issues regarding non-domiciled CDLs, however, DVS emphasizes that all applicants, regardless of domicile status, undergo the same rigorous testing in English, and they must demonstrate the same proficiency in operating commercial vehicles as all standard CDL applicants; the state recorded 212,327 standard and 2,117 non-domiciled CDL holders, there is no evidence suggesting that non-domiciled CDL holders compromised public safety.
Earlier this year, Minnesota's DVS conducted an audit, which uncovered and subsequently corrected certain administrative errors in the issuance of non-domiciled CDLs, which included informing customers, who were discovered to be ineligible, of the cancellation of their CDL privileges. The FMCSA, in their own audit, affirmed the mistakes DVS identified and that corrective actions had been implemented.
Despite the general alignment between state and federal findings, Director Xiong contests what are believed to be inaccuracies in some of the FMCSA's findings and seeks further clarity on certain required corrections associated with new CDL rules that weren't in effect during the audit, and are currently under a court-ordered stay issued by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit; as per federal directive, DVS has halted issuing non-domiciled CDLs and is undergoing an additional internal review, with plans to submit an action plan to FMCSA.
Updates on this matter and further details on Minnesota's response to the FMCSA's directive will follow. Interested parties can find the latest information on the DVS website.
