Relating to commercial driver’s license driving skills tests, providing fees, and including effective date provisions

Sponsored by the House Ways and Means (successor To Hsb 102) Committee

Topics:Taxes Transportation

Same legislation: HSB 102, HF 521

Write your legislators about itWhat changed before it passed

Official bill page Lobbyist declarations One-pager to print

Where it is now

Done: IntroducedJanuary 21, 2021
Done: SubcommitteeJanuary 21, 2021
Done: House committeeFebruary 11, 2021
Done: Passes the HouseMarch 23, 202195–1
Done: Senate committeeMarch 31, 2021
Done: Passes the SenateApril 28, 202148–0
Done: To the GovernorMay 20, 2021
Done: Signed into lawMay 20, 2021

Signed into law What’s a funnel?

What’s in it

This bill relates to commercial driver’s license (CDL) driving skills tests. The bill allows the department of transportation (DOT) and any county certified to issue CDLs to charge certain fees for a CDL driving skills test. The DOT is allowed to charge up to $25 to schedule the pre-trip vehicle inspection test. A county is allowed to charge a separate fee not to exceed $25 to administer each of the three parts of the CDL driving skills test, as designated in the bill. The pre-trip vehicle inspection test fee is due to the DOT or county, as applicable, at the time the appointment is scheduled.

Read the full explanation

The fees for the basic vehicle control skills test and the on-road driving skills test are due to the county upon completion of each test. The fees do not apply to driving skills tests administered by third-party testers. Fees collected by the DOT under the bill are deposited in the statutory allocations fund. Fees collected by a county under the bill are retained by the county for deposit in the county general fund. All fees authorized in the bill are in addition to any other fees imposed by law. The bill transfers certain existing provisions relating to CDL tests by the DOT to the new Code section created by the bill for DOT CDL test fees. The bill takes effect January 1, 2022.

Changed since by amendment H-1230; see Amendments.

Full bill text · What changed before it passed¹

Senate subcommittee

Named April 20, 2021. On April 21, 2021 it recommended passage.

Three legislators hear a bill first and recommend what the committee should do; it’s the best time to weigh in. How to take part

Fiscal note

Cost: up to $203,000 Compare with other bills

AI summary This bill allows the Department of Transportation to charge a $25 fee for pre-trip inspection tests and allows counties to charge $25 for each of the three driving skills tests required for a Commercial Driver’s License. If everyone passes their tests on the first attempt, the fees are estimated to increase the Statutory Allocations Fund by $203,000 annually and county general funds by $165,000 annually. The exact impact of fee exemptions for government employees or volunteers cannot be estimated.²

Read the fiscal note

Description

House File 828 assesses fees for the driving skills testing required to obtain a Commercial Driver’s License (CDL). The Bill allows the Department of Transportation (DOT) to charge a $25 fee to schedule the pre-trip inspection test. The Bill also allows counties that provide CDL testing to charge $25 for each of the three driving skills tests required for the issuance of a CDL. These fees are nonrefundable, and fees collected by the DOT are allocated to the Statutory Allocations Fund, while the fees collected from counties are deposited in that county’s general fund. The fees assessed in this Bill do not apply to any third party that offers driving skills testing for a CDL. If a person is employed by or volunteers for a government entity, they would only pay for the pre-trip vehicle inspection portion of the test if they take the test at a county facility, and would pay no fees if they test at a DOT facility.

This Bill takes effect January 1, 2022.

Background

Prior to being able to take a CDL skills test, a person must obtain a Commercial Learner’s Permit (CLP) by passing the CDL knowledge test. A CDL skills test involves three sections of testing including pre-trip vehicle inspection, basic control skills, and road driving. Each portion of the test is estimated to take 30 minutes to complete, creating a 90-minute testing slot. The DOT and county treasurer offices require the person taking the test to provide the vehicle used in testing. Currently there are 15 third parties authorized to administer CDL skills tests in Iowa. 2020 Iowa Acts, chapter 41, instructed the DOT to conduct a study on the driving skills tests required to obtain a CDL, and evaluate and recommend testing options to increase access to tests across the State. The study identified 26 other states that assess fees for CDL skills testing. The DOT study can be found here.

Assumptions

Approximately 8,100 CDL tests are conducted annually by the State and 2,200 by counties.
The DOT will charge $25 for each pre-trip inspection test.
Counties will charge $25 for each of the three tests required to receive a CDL.

Fiscal Impact

If all persons who take the CDL driving skills tests pass each component on their first attempt, the fees introduced in this Bill will result in an estimated increase of $203,000 to the Statutory Allocations Fund and $165,000 to county general funds annually. While there will be some people seeking the issuance of a CDL who pay reduced or no fees for working with a government entity, it is unknown how many would be exempt. As such, those exemptions are not included in this estimate.