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DMV safety chief tells House panel S.326 would let state workers drive heavy trucks during governor‑declared emergencies
Summary
The House Transportation Committee heard testimony that S.326 would allow narrowly defined, intrastate exemptions from CDL requirements for state and municipal employees during governor‑declared emergencies for life‑saving operations; members pressed DMV officials on duration, oversight, and specialized endorsements such as air‑brakes and hazmat.
Matthew Nesto, chief of safety at the Department of Motor Vehicles, told the House Transportation Committee on April 9 that S.326 is intended to permit certain state and municipal employees to operate vehicles exceeding 26,000 pounds without a commercial driver license during narrowly defined, governor‑declared emergencies.
“Drivers of state vehicles that are in excess of 26,000 pounds — 26,001 pounds require CDLs,” Nesto said, explaining that the bill’s purpose is to ‘‘solidify practices’’ used in rare emergency circumstances so employees can perform imminent life‑saving or rescue operations.
The bill, as described in committee testimony, would apply only to intrastate operations and — if a declaration is made by the governor or a designated official — the state would file notice with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. Nesto told the committee the language references the federal rule excerpted in…
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