AB 2144 Summary

• Updates commercial motor vehicle driver licensing standards to reference the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration and the Motor Carrier Safety Improvement Act of 1999 instead of outdated federal law references.

• Increases disqualification periods for commercial motor vehicle drivers convicted of out-of-service order violations: from 90 days to 180 days for first violations, from 180 days to 2 years for hazmat/passenger vehicle violations, and from 1 year to 2 years for second violations; expands violations to include out-of-service orders issued by federal and Canadian authorities.

• Increases civil penalties for drivers violating out-of-service orders from $1,100-$2,750 to $2,500 (first conviction) and $5,000 (subsequent convictions); increases employer penalties up to $25,000.

• Revises traffic court procedures to hold conviction records confidential when drivers complete traffic violator school, except for commercial driver's license holders or violations in commercial vehicles; allows no violation points to be assessed for confidential convictions under specified conditions.

• Eliminates the requirement that a serious traffic violation conviction result in license revocation, cancellation, or suspension for commercial driver disqualification purposes; provisions become operative July 1, 2011.