Michigan House Bill HB4426

Michigan 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 5/6/25
• Refer: 5/6/25
• Report Pass: 6/3/25
• Engrossed: 6/25/25
• Refer: 6/26/25

Caption

Transportation: carriers; age requirement to operate a commercial motor vehicle; modify. Amends sec. 2d of 1963 PA 181 (MCL 480.12d).

Summary

House Bill 4426 would amend Michigan’s Motor Carrier Safety Act to revise the age and qualification rules for operating commercial motor vehicles in intrastate transportation. The bill states that an individual may not operate, and a motor carrier may not allow or require someone to operate, a commercial motor vehicle unless the driver is qualified under federal motor carrier safety rules, with specific state exceptions. The main substantive change is to clarify the minimum age for intrastate commercial driving: generally 18 years old for transporting intrastate property or passengers, and 21 years old when transporting hazardous materials that must be marked or placarded under federal hazardous materials rules. The bill also retains the requirement that the driver have a valid medical waiver card or be otherwise exempt, and it references the prior grandfather rights card language with a sunset date of December 31, 2014, reflecting cleanup or conforming changes in the statute text.

Impact

HB 4426 would amend MCL 480.12d in the Motor Carrier Safety Act of 1963, affecting who may legally operate commercial motor vehicles within Michigan for intrastate commerce. It would preserve the general incorporation of federal CDL-related standards in 49 CFR parts 383 and 391 while specifying state age thresholds and medical qualification requirements for intrastate drivers. The practical impact would fall on commercial drivers, motor carriers, and enforcement officials by clarifying eligibility rules for intrastate trucking and passenger transport, especially for younger drivers and hazardous materials transport.

Sentiment

The available voting history suggests the bill was generally supported, though not unanimously. It was reported from committee with a strong majority and later passed the House on third reading by a substantial margin, including an immediate-effect roll call. That pattern indicates broad legislative approval for the bill’s transportation-safety and regulatory-clarification goals.

Contention

The likely points of contention are the age requirements for commercial drivers and the balance between workforce access and safety regulation. Supporters appear to favor clarifying or adjusting the minimum age rules for intrastate commercial driving, while the dissenting votes suggest some concern about lowering or formalizing access for younger drivers, or about the broader policy implications for motor carrier safety. The hazardous materials exception and the medical waiver requirements are the main substantive safeguards in the bill, and those provisions likely reflect the safety concerns raised in discussion or opposition.