To permanently extend the exemption from the engine compartment portion of the pre-trip vehicle inspection skills testing requirement for school bus drivers, and for other purposes.

Summary

This bill directs the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) to permanently allow states to exempt school bus drivers from the “under-the-hood” testing requirement for a commercial driver's license (CDL). As background, on December 2, 2024, the FMCSA renewed an exemption through November 28, 2026, that allows states to exempt all school bus driver applicants for a CDL from the engine compartment portion of the pre-trip vehicle inspection skills testing requirement, commonly referred to as the under-the-hood testing requirement. States must meet certain terms and conditions for the exemption. Under the bill, the FMCSA must make permanent the December 2, 2024, exemption, thus permanently allowing states to exempt school bus drivers from the under-the-hood testing requirement. States must meet the additional terms and conditions for an exemption, which include (1) restricting school bus drivers who are issued a CDL based on the exemption to the intrastate operation of school buses, and (2) requiring states to conduct the remaining pre-trip vehicle inspection components of the skills test. Further, the FMCSA must require any state participating in the exemption to submit an annual report describing the number of drivers that obtain a CDL under the exemption.

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Timeline

1. 26 March 2025

   Referred

   Referred to the Subcommittee on Highways and Transit.

   Source: Committee

2. 26 March 2025

   Introduced

   Referred to the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.

   Source: IntroReferral

3. 26 March 2025

   Introduced

   Introduced in House

   Source: IntroReferral

4. 26 March 2025

   Introduced

   Introduced in House

   Source: IntroReferral

Votes

No vote records are attached yet.

Versions

No version snapshots stored. Document URLs remain at the source.

Documents

2 official files

• Introduced in House

  Introduced in House · EN · 26 March 2025

  DownloadOpen at official source

• Introduced in House

  summary · EN · 26 March 2025

  Open at official source

Sponsors

• John Carter · R · Sponsor
• Tom Cole · R · Sponsor
• Rep. Smith, Jason [R-MO-8] · R · Sponsor
• Rep. Foxx, Virginia [R-NC-5] · R · Sponsor
• David Valadao · R · Sponsor
• Rep. Nehls, Troy E. [R-TX-22] · R · Sponsor
• Rep. Self, Keith [R-TX-3] · R · Sponsor
• Darren Soto · D · Cosponsor
• Rep. Burlison, Eric [R-MO-7] · R · Cosponsor
• Rep. Grothman, Glenn [R-WI-6] · R · Cosponsor
• Timothy Kennedy · D · Cosponsor
• Rep. Mann, Tracey [R-KS-1] · R · Cosponsor
• Rep. Suozzi, Thomas R. [D-NY-3] · D · Cosponsor
• Rep. Schmidt, Derek [R-KS-2] · R · Cosponsor
• Rep. Van Orden, Derrick [R-WI-3] · R · Cosponsor
• Rep. Fitzgerald, Scott [R-WI-5] · R · Cosponsor
• Robert Bresnahan · R · Cosponsor
• · hspw00 · Standing

Related records

• related to ← Driving Forward Act