The Georgia Department of Driver Services (DDS) has launched an enhancement to the commercial motor vehicle skills testing process, which updates and modernizes the testing procedure, the department said.
Redesigned by the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators (AAMVA) and approved by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), the result is a simpler and more effective skills testing process that best assesses an applicant’s readiness to operate a CMV safely.
DDS Commissioner Spencer R. Moore said the redesigned test makes obtaining a CDL “more efficient without lowering requirements and most importantly not compromising safety. Applicants are tested on real-world scenarios that all focus on safety critical items.”
The Modernized CDL Skills Test remains in three parts: The Vehicle Inspection (VI), the Basic Control Skills (BCS) Test and Road Test. The VI and BCS were updated during the modernization process.
The new VI requires fewer items, and the applicants are allowed to use a checklist (provided in the “CDL Study Guide”) for the order of inspection. The inspection focuses on knowledge and safety and contains items a driver would typically experience on the job.
The BCS portion of the driving exam is conducted on a smaller footprint and tests applicants on: Forward Stop; Straight-Line Backing; Forward Offset Tracking and Reverse Offset Backing.
The Between, Georgia, DDS Customer Service Center (CSC) is the first location offering the modernized process, and DDS said expansion to other locations statewide is ongoing. Appointments are required for all road skills tests. Appointments for both test types, traditional and modernized, are available until the modernization transition is complete statewide.