Senate approves bill allowing third-party commercial driver license testing

State Sen. Rob Standridge has won Senate approval for a measure allowing third-party commercial driver license (CDL) testing. Standridge said 40 states already have some form of third-party CDL testing. He said if Senate Bill 378 becomes law, Oklahoma will be able to address a costly testing backlog in an industry that is an important part of the state’s economy.

“Commercial trucking is a big industry in Oklahoma. But testing backlogs and delays in our state result in $5 million in lost wages every year,” said Standridge, R-Norman. “Allowing third-party testing will get thousands of Oklahomans licensed to get on the road sooner and help us keep our economy moving.”

Currently, the Department of Public Safety is in charge of CDL testing in Oklahoma. In 2016, there were 6,274 retests given with a wait time of five days, resulting in lost driver wages, reduced economic output and the loss of taxes. Standridge said the data shows third-party testing will help reduce those wait times.
“The third-party testing could conceivably be a career-tech or a private company, but we will work closely with DPS to ensure that safety is paramount,” Standridge said.

SB 378 now moves to the House of Representatives for further consideration.