Washington State

House of Representatives

Office of Program Research

BILL

ANALYSIS

Transportation Committee

HB 1070

This analysis was prepared by non-partisan legislative staff for the use of legislative members in their deliberations. This analysis is not a part of the legislation nor does it constitute a statement of legislative intent.

Background:

A commercial driver's license is required in order to operate a commercial motor vehicle in Washington. Operating a commercial motor vehicle without the appropriate license is a gross misdemeanor. State law provides several classes of licenses, endorsements, and restrictions. The necessary class and endorsement depends upon the weight of the vehicle, number of trailers, whether the vehicle will carry hazardous materials, the design of the vehicle, and whether it will carry passengers.

A person is disqualified from driving a commercial vehicle for, among other things, driving under the influence, committing a serious traffic violation, and violating an out-of-service order. The length of such disqualification depends upon the seriousness of the offense, whether the driver committed multiple offenses, and whether the driver was carrying hazardous materials at the time. If a driver is convicted of violating a traffic law in another state, the driver must inform the Department of Licensing (DOL) of such a conviction. If such a conviction occurs in any state, including Washington, the driver must inform his or her employer of the conviction. Similarly, if a driver is disqualified from driving a commercial motor vehicle for any period, the driver must inform his employer of the disqualification by the end of the next business day.

Summary of Bill:

The DOL is directed to establish a voluntary database of commercial drivers. Employers can, if they so choose, register any of their employees in the database. The DOL must then notify registered employers of any suspension or revocation of their employees' commercial driver's licenses. The DOL must further notify any registered employer if an employee is disqualified from driving a commercial motor vehicle.