Pennsylvania SB 1295: An Act amending Title 75 (Vehicles) of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes, in commercial drivers, further providing for purpose and construction of chapter, for definitions and for commercial driver's license qualification standards, providing for English proficiency standard, further providing for nonresident CDL, for application for commercial driver's license and for disqualification and providing for annual report; and imposing penalties.

Bill Text

PRINTER'S NO. 1599
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
SENATE BILL
No. 1295
Session of
2026
INTRODUCED BY J. WARD, BARTOLOTTA, PHILLIPS-HILL, HUTCHINSON,
LANGERHOLC, STEFANO, MARTIN AND BAKER, APRIL 17, 2026
REFERRED TO TRANSPORTATION, APRIL 17, 2026
AN ACT
Amending Title 75 (Vehicles) of the Pennsylvania Consolidated
Statutes, in commercial drivers, further providing for
purpose and construction of chapter, for definitions and for
commercial driver's license qualification standards,
providing for English proficiency standard, further providing
for nonresident CDL, for application for commercial driver's
license and for disqualification and providing for annual
report; and imposing penalties.
The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
hereby enacts as follows:
Section 1. Section 1602 of Title 75 of the Pennsylvania
Consolidated Statutes is amended by adding a subsection to read:
§ 1602. Purpose and construction of chapter.
* * *
(c) Federal law.--To the extent that this chapter conflicts
with Federal law or regulation, the Federal law or regulation
shall prevail. Notice of nonapplicability shall be transmitted
by the department to the Legislative Reference Bureau for
publication in the next available issue of the Pennsylvania
Bulletin.
Section 2. Section 1603 of Title 75 is amended by adding
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definitions to read:
§ 1603. Definitions.
The following words and phrases when used in this chapter
shall have the meanings given to them in this section unless the
context clearly indicates otherwise:
* * *
"Evidence of lawful immigration status." As defined in 49
CFR 383.5 (relating to definitions).
* * *
"Nondomiciled CDL" or "nondomiciled CLP." As defined in 49
CFR 383.5.
* * *
Section 3. Section 1607(a)(3), (6), (7) and (9), (b)(1), (c)
(3) and (d)(1) and (5) of Title 75 are amended and subsections
(a), (c) and (d) are amended by adding paragraphs to read:
§ 1607. Commercial driver's license qualification standards.
(a) Testing.--
* * *
(3) The department may authorize a person, including an
agency of this or another state, an employer, a private
institution, association or driver training school, or a
department, agency or instrumentality of local government to
administer the skills test specified by this section,
provided:
(i) The test is the same as that which would
otherwise be administered by the department.
(ii) The third party has entered into an agreement
with the department.
(iii) The third party administers tests to meet the
English proficiency standard under section 1607.1
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(relating to English proficiency standard).
* * *
(6) The department shall provide applicants for
commercial driver's licenses with the choice of selecting a
knowledge test administered in either a written or an oral
format:
(i) The department shall administer the knowledge
tests in [both the English and Spanish languages] the
English language.
(ii) An applicant requesting the oral [or Spanish]
version of the knowledge test in the English language
must schedule for the examination at a testing site
authorized by the department.
[(iii) The department shall offer alternate testing
formats to avoid discrimination against drivers with
limited literacy or verbal comprehension skills.]
(iv) The alternative of an oral version of the
knowledge test in the English language shall not be
available to persons seeking a hazardous materials
endorsement on a commercial driver's license.
(v) The use of interpreters shall not be permitted.
(7) The department shall accept the results of skills
tests administered in other states and sent electronically by
the other state, provided that the skills test administered
meets Federal testing standards and the individual meets the
English proficiency standard under section 1607.1.
* * *
(8.1) In addition to any other penalty that may be
imposed, a person providing false entries on the application
for a commercial driver learner's permit or commercial
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driver's license or any documentation required for the permit
or license shall be, upon conviction, guilty of a misdemeanor
of the third degree.
(9) [Interpreters shall not be permitted during the
administration of the skills test. Neither the commercial
driver learner's permit holder nor the test examiner may
communicate in a language other than English during the
skills test.] The following apply during the administration
of the skills test:
(i) Interpreters shall not be permitted.
(ii) A test examiner shall affirm that the
commercial driver learner's permit holder meets the
English proficiency standard under section 1607.1.
(b) Waiver of test.--The department shall waive the skills
test specified in this section for a commercial driver's license
applicant:
(1) Holding a valid Class 2,