Overview
In 1986, the Federal Government enacted the Commercial Motor Vehicle Safety Act. The purpose of the legislation was to reduce or prevent commercial motor vehicle accidents, fatalities, and injuries. These objectives are met by permitting commercial drivers to hold only one valid driver’s license, disqualifying commercial drivers who have committed certain serious traffic violations, and strengthening licensing and testing standards. To assist with the anticipated volume of tests that arose, PennDOT implemented the Third-Party Testing Program pursuant to Section 1607(a)(3) of Pennsylvania’s Vehicle Code, 75 Pa. C.S.§1607(a)(3).
Section 383.75 of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations (49 CFR Part 383) (“FMCSR”) allows PennDOT to authorize Third-Party Testers to administer the commercial driver’s license skills test. A Third-Party Tester can be an agency of Pennsylvania or another state, a motor carrier, a private driver training facility or other private institution, or a department, agency, or instrumentality of local government.
Apply to Become a Third-Party CDL Tester
PennDOT is currently accepting applications for third-party CDL testers. Please read through the program requirements.
Send your completed application to ra-pdcontracts3partycdl@pa.gov.
Please note, submission does not guarantee selection of a proposed site. Applicants offering testing services in the requested areas identified above will be reviewed promptly. All other applications received will be reviewed in the order as received. PennDOT reserves the right to contact non-selected candidates at a later date, as needed. Given the potential for fraudulent issuance of licenses and the potential for individuals to be licensed who do not have the required level of skill to operate a vehicle, the selected Third-Party Testers shall meet a stringent set of performance standards. These standards include criteria for employees, facilities, document security, training, equipment, and testing procedures.