Military truck drivers won’t need to retest for Pa. commercial driver’s license

The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation is trying to make it a little easier for former military personnel to transition to the civilian workforce.

Individuals who operated commercial vehicles in the military as part of their duties will no longer have to be retested to get a commercial vehicle driver’s license in Pennsylvania.

PennDOT said that it will now waive the requirement of a Commercial Driver’s License Knowledge Test for Pennsylvania residents who are current or former military members who already have at least two years of experience driving such vehicles as part of their military duties.

“We are pleased to announce this important change and hope that it helps military members in their transition to civilian life find good-paying, sustainable employment to begin their new lives,” said PennDOT Secretary Yassmin Gramian.

The waiver applies to CDL applicants who wish to operate vehicles similar to those they operated in the military.

For example, those who drove combination type commercial (Class A) motor vehicles in the military will be eligible in Pennsylvania for a waiver to drive a combination type vehicle and those who drove a single motor vehicle of commercial type (Class B) in the military will be eligible in Pennsylvania for the waiver to drive that type of vehicle.

Doubles, triples and school bus endorsements cannot be waived under this program.

Applicants must complete form DL-398, “Application for Military CDL Test Waiver,” to request the waiver.