Road Test Requirement

This is a new information collection request which estimates the burden motor carriers incur to comply with the mandatory reporting and recordkeeping tasks required for the road test associated with 49 CFR § 391.31. FMCSA has not previously accounted for the burden associated with § 391.31 road tests and the ICR also includes the incremental burden associated with § 391.31 road tests due to FMCSA’s development of the Qualifications of Drivers; Vision Standard proposed rule. Subject to some exceptions, § 391.31 requires a motor carrier to conduct a road test when the motor carrier hires a new driver. The motor carrier is required to rate the performance of the driver during the test on a road test form provided by the motor carrier. If the road test is successfully completed, the motor carrier completes a certificate of driver’s road test and provides a copy to the driver. The motor carrier retains the original signed road test form and the original, or a copy, of the signed certificate in the driver qualification file. Motor carriers may maintain the required road test form and certificate electronically or via paper copy. The information collected by the motor carrier is needed to document the motor carrier conducted the road test as required and determined the driver can operate a CMV safely. The information also assists Federal and State safety investigators in determining that motor carriers fulfilled their regulatory requirements when deciding who may drive CMVs on their behalf and in assessing the qualifications of drivers. The Qualifications of Drivers; Vision Standard proposed rule would require individuals physically qualified under the alternative vision standard in § 391.44, for the first time to complete a road test in accordance with § 391.31. Accordingly, the reporting and recordkeeping tasks required would be the same. Road Test Burden Hours and Costs under § 391.31, consists of three reporting and recordkeeping tasks motor carriers perform regarding the road test required by § 391.31 when they hire a new driver. IC-1.1: The motor carrier completes and signs the road test form while the driver performs a pre-trip inspection and the driving portion of the road test (49 CFR § 391.31(d)). IC-1.2: The motor carrier completes a certificate of driver’s road test in substantially the form prescribed in § 391.31(f) (49 CFR § 391.31(e)) and gives the driver a copy (49 CFR § 391.31(g)). IC-1.3: The motor carrier retains in the driver qualification file the original signed road test form and the original, or a copy, of the signed certificate of driver’s road test (49 CFR § 391.31(g)(1) and (2)). Road Test Burden Hours and Costs under § 391.44, consists of the incremental burden associated with the requirement in the Qualifications of Drivers; Vision Standard proposed rule that individuals physically qualified under § 391.44 for the first time would be required to complete a road test in accordance with § 391.31, subsequent to physical qualification. IC-2 consists of the same three reporting and recordkeeping tasks motor carriers perform regarding the road test in IC-1. IC-2.1: The motor carrier completes and signs the road test form while the driver performs a pre-trip inspection and the driving portion of the road test (49 CFR § 391.31(d)). IC-2.2: The motor carrier completes a certificate of driver’s road test in substantially the form prescribed in §391.31(f) (49 CFR § 391.31(e)) and gives the driver a copy (49 CFR § 391.31(g)). IC-2.3: The motor carrier retains in the driver qualification file the original signed road test form and the original, or a copy, of the signed certificate of driver’s road test (49 CFR § 391.31(g)(1) and (2)).

The latest form for Road Test Requirement expires 2028-03-31 and can be found here.

IC-1.1:The motor carrier completes and signs the road test form while the driver performs a pre-trip inspection and the driving portion of the road test.

Federal Enterprise Architecture: Transportation - Ground Transportation