Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. R. 375-5-3-.17 - Commercial Driver Training School Program of Instruction

(1) A commercial driver training school certified by the Department must provide the student both theoretical and practical instruction regarding the operation of a commercial motor vehicle in accordance with 49 C.F.R. Parts 383 and 384.

(2) The theoretical instruction shall be classroom instruction in specific areas of traffic safety to include subject matter relating to the rules and regulations of the road, safe driving practices, proper attitudes, pedestrian safety, and driver responsibility.

(3) Practical instruction shall be behind-the-wheel experience and shall include demonstration and actual performance of stopping, starting, shifting (if straight shift), turning, backing, parallel parking and steering in a vehicle which meets the requirements of the Department. Behind-the-wheel is defined as the actual time the student is behind the steering wheel driving or being instructed.

(4) Test or exam questions prepared by the school for instructional purposes shall not be worded or constructed in the same manner as the questions used by the Department on its official driver examination.

(5) The student must pass a written exam with a minimum grade of eighty (80) to successfully complete the course and receive a certificate of completion. In the event of excused absence, sickness, etc., the student shall be required to attend makeup classes for each hour exceeding ten (10) percent of the road or range time specifically outlined in the approved school curriculum. The certificate must include the name and address of the school, DDS Certification number, the student's name, the number of hours of instruction, the instructor's signature or the signature of a duly authorized employee of the school, and the date of completion. The certificates shall be numbered, and a roster of each class listing each student's name, date of completion, instructor's name, fee paid, and certificate number must be kept by the commercial driver training school for a minimum of three (3) years.

(6) All non-passenger road training must include city, rural, and interstate driving.

(7) Every school providing instruction for non-passenger vehicles and passenger vehicles meeting the definition of a bus shall maintain, for practical truck and/or bus driver training, a range 250 ft. X 250 ft. or a minimum of 62,500 square feet. Approval for additional vehicles requires inspection by the Department to determine that adequate space is available. Each range will be equipped with sufficient cones and/or barrels for non-passenger vehicles to perform the following mandatory maneuvers:

(a) Straight Line Backing

(b) Off-set Backing

(i) Off-set left

(ii) Off-set right

(c) Parallel Parking

(i) Sight Side

(ii) Blind Side

(d) Alley Dock

(i) 45 degree

(ii) 90 degree

(8) In accordance with 49 C.F.R. Parts 383 and 384, effective February 7, 2022, commercial drivers are required to complete entry-level driver training.

(a) Except as provided in subsection (b), on or after February 7, 2022, any entry-level commercial driver shall be required to successfully complete an entry-level driver training program approved by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, in accordance with 49 C.F.R. Parts 383 and 384. The term "entry-level commercial driver" shall mean any person who:

(i) seeks to obtain a new Class A or Class B commercial driver's license;

(ii) seeks to upgrade any existing commercial driver's license to a higher Class commercial driver's license;

(iii) seeks to obtain a new school bus (S), passenger (P), or hazardous materials (H) endorsement; or

(iv) is otherwise subject to the entry-level driver training requirements set forth in 49 C.F.R. Parts 383 and 384.

(b) The entry-level driver training requirements set forth in subsection (a) shall not apply to the following persons:

(i) commercial drivers who hold a valid commercial driver's license or an S, P, or H endorsement that was issued prior to February 7, 2022;

(ii) commercial drivers who obtained a commercial learner's permit prior to February 7, 2022, and upgrade to a commercial driver's license before the commercial learner's permit expires; or

(iii) any person who is exempted from taking a skills test pursuant to 49 C.F.R. Part 383.

(c) Effective February 7, 2022, in order to add a hazardous materials (H) endorsement to a commercial driver's license, the driver must:

(i) complete entry-level driver training prior to taking the knowledge exam for the hazardous materials (H) endorsement;

(ii) complete the Hazardous Materials Endorsement Threat Assessment Program administered by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA);

(iii) pass the knowledge exam for the hazardous materials (H) endorsement; and

(iv) renew their commercial driver's license to have the H or X (Tank Vehicles and Hazardous Material) endorsement added.

(9) Effective February 7, 2022, every commercial driver training school and every CDL third-party tester certified by the Department shall provide, prior to administering a third-party skills test or as part of its instructional curriculum, a human trafficking awareness and prevention course that is administered to every student it tests and/or trains, and evidence of such completion as required by the department.

Notes

Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. R. 375-5-3-.17

O.C.G.A. §§ 40-15-3, 43-13-8.

Original Rule entitled "Program of Instruction" adopted. F. Sept. 1, 2004; eff. Sept. 21, 2004. Amended: New title, "Commercial Driver Training School Program of Instruction." F. Jan. 13, 2022; eff. Feb. 2, 2022.