AN ACT to amend and reenact section 39-06.2-06 of the North Dakota Century Code, relating to commercial driver's licenses; and to declare an emergency.
Summary
HB 1093 amends North Dakota’s commercial driver’s license laws, specifically section 39-06.2-06 of the Century Code. The bill restates and updates the circumstances under which a commercial driver’s license is required and clarifies several exemptions and waivers for certain vehicles and operators, including house cars and travel trailers used for personal purposes, emergency and firefighting equipment, military vehicles, and covered farm vehicles.
The bill also preserves and refines existing agricultural and rural exemptions. It continues the waiver for farm-to-market operations within 150 miles of a farmer’s farm, allows limited CDL testing waivers and restricted CDLs for employees of agrichemical businesses, custom harvesters, farm retail outlets and suppliers, and livestock feeders, and exempts certain class A CDL holders from hazardous materials endorsements when transporting limited quantities of diesel in specified service vehicles. It further bars the department from issuing a CDL to a person who obtains a commercial learner’s permit unless federal training requirements are met, and it declares the act an emergency measure, making it effective immediately upon enactment.
Impact
HB 1093 primarily affects North Dakota’s CDL regulatory framework by updating state law to align with federal commercial driver licensing rules while preserving state-specific agricultural and emergency-response exemptions. It impacts the Department of Transportation’s licensing practices, commercial drivers, farm operators, custom harvesters, agrichemical businesses, livestock feeders, and certain local government employees involved in snow and ice removal during declared emergencies. The bill does not create a new licensing system, but it clarifies who is exempt from CDL requirements, who may receive restricted licenses, and when hazardous materials endorsements are not required.
Sentiment
The bill appears to have broad bipartisan support and little visible opposition. It passed the House and Senate by overwhelming margins, including unanimous Senate approval and near-unanimous House support, suggesting general agreement with the bill’s technical updates and its accommodation of agricultural and emergency operations. The emergency clause also indicates a desire for immediate implementation, which is consistent with a practical, noncontroversial measure.
Contention
No major contention is evident in the available record. The only likely policy tension is between maintaining federal compliance in CDL standards and preserving exemptions for farm-related and rural operations, but the vote totals suggest those issues were resolved without significant dispute. Any debate would most likely have centered on the scope of agricultural exemptions, the restricted CDL provisions, and the hazardous materials endorsement exemption for certain service vehicles, though no committee transcript is available showing specific objections.
AN ACT to amend and reenact section 39-06.2-06 of the North Dakota Century Code, relating to commercial driver's licenses; and to declare an emergency.
A BILL for an Act to amend and reenact section 39-06-49, subsection 1 of section 39-06.2-07, subsection 2 of section 39-06.2-08, subdivision c of subsection 3 of section 39-06.2-09, sections 39-06.2-09.1, 39-06.2-13.1, and 39-06.2-19, and subsection 3 of section 39-16-03 of the North Dakota Century Code, relating to driver's license fees.
A BILL for an Act to create and enact a new subsection to section 39-04-19 and two new subdivisions to subsection 2 of section 39-06.1-06 of the North Dakota Century Code, relating to farm tractor registration and the amount of statutory fees; to amend and reenact subdivision a of subsection 2 of section 39-04-18 and sections 39-06.1-09, 39-09-02, and 39-09-09 of the North Dakota Century Code, relating to farm tractors, speed limitations, and minimum speed limits; and to provide a penalty.
AN ACT to amend and reenact subsection 2 of section 39-06.1-06 of the North Dakota Century Code, relating to the amount of fees for a moving violation.
A BILL for an Act to amend and reenact sections 39-06.1-06, 40-05-06, and 40-11-12 of the North Dakota Century Code, relating to speeding violations, city fines, and nonpayment of fines; and to provide a penalty.
Requires MVC to verify certain information concerning commercial learner's permit and commercial driver license applicants and holders to ensure persons illegally in the State do not obtain or hold such permits and licenses.