La. Admin. Code tit. 55 § III-103

Current through Register Vol. 50, No. 11, November 20, 2024

Section III-103 - Examinations and Skills Tests

A. All examinations and skills tests shall be constructed in such a way as to determine if the applicant possesses the required knowledge and skills contained in the driver's manual made available to all applicants by the Office of Motor Vehicles and the skills required by these regulations.

B. Each basic knowledge test for any applicable vehicle group shall contain at least 30 items, exclusive of the number of items testing airbrake knowledge or any special endorsements.

C. Each endorsement knowledge test, and the airbrake component of the basic knowledge test, shall contain a number of questions that is sufficient to test the driver applicant's knowledge of the required subject matter with validity and reliability.

1. The driver applicant must correctly answer at least 80 percent of the questions on each knowledge test in order to achieve a passing score.

2. To achieve a passing score on the skills test, the driver applicant must demonstrate that he can successfully perform all of the skills required and achieve at least an 80 percent satisfactory completion rating by the examiner.

3. If the driver applicant does not obey applicable traffic laws, or causes an accident during the test, he shall automatically fail the skills test.

4. The scoring of the basic knowledge and skills test shall be adjusted to allow for the airbrake restriction.

5. If the applicant scores less than 80 percent on the airbrake component of the basic knowledge test as described above, the driver will have failed the airbrake component, and if the driver is issued a commercial driver's license, an airbrake restriction shall be indicated on said license.

6. If the applicant performs the skills test in a vehicle not equipped with airbrakes, and is issued a commercial driver's license, the airbrake restriction shall be indicated on said license. If the applicant performs the skills test in a vehicle equipped with partial airbrakes (air over hydraulics), and is issued a commercial driver's license, the "no full airbrake" restriction shall be indicated on said license.

D. Except as otherwise provided herein, a person shall not drive a motor vehicle unless he has first taken a written examination administered by the Office of Motor Vehicles.

1. The written examination shall be administered by the Office of Motor Vehicles, on a form prescribed by the Office of Motor Vehicles.

2. Prior to and during the examination, the applicant shall be permitted to examine and consult a copy of the federal motor carrier safety regulations.

3. There is no time limit for completing the examination and the persons taking it shall be so advised in advance.

4. Upon completion of the examination and its grading by the examiner, the examiner shall advise the applicant of the correct answers to any questions which the applicant failed to answer correctly and additional instructions in the pertinent regulations as appears to be warranted on the basis of the applicant's performance on the examination.

E. Except as otherwise provided herein, a person shall not drive a commercial motor vehicle unless he first successfully completed a skills test and has been issued a certificate, or other proof of successful completion of a skills test, of successful completion of a skills test in accordance with this Section.

F. The skills test shall be administered by the Office of Motor Vehicles or by a designated third-party examiner.

1. The skills test must be of sufficient duration to enable the person who administers it to evaluate the skill of the applicant who takes it in the handling of the commercial motor vehicle, and associated equipment, that the motor carrier intends to assign to the applicant or which the applicant anticipates operating.

2. At a minimum, the applicant must be tested, while operating the type or class of commercial motor vehicle which the applicant intends to operate, on his skill at performing each of the following operations:

a. a pre-trip inspection during which the following equipment situations are inspected:

i. service brakes, including trailer brake connections;

ii. parking or hand brake;

iii. steering mechanism;

iv. lighting devices and reflectors;

v. tires;

vi. horn;

vii. windshield wiper or wipers and washers;

viii. rear-vision mirror or mirrors;

ix. all coupling devices;

x. all required emergency equipment; and

xi. the loading condition and load-securing devices; and

b. placing the vehicle in operation, including the proper procedures for performing starting, warming up, shutting down the engine, placing the vehicle smoothly and safely in motion and stopping, backing in a straight line, backing through a curve, turning the vehicle, shifting, use of turn signals and hand signals, use of mirrors, and speed and space management procedures.

G. The Office of Motor Vehicles shall provide a skills test grading sheet on a form to be designated by it upon which the examiner shall rate the performance of the applicant who takes the skills test for each operation or activity which is a part of the test. The examiner shall require the applicant to sign the test form at the beginning of the skills test and shall state the date and time upon which the test was administered.

1. If the applicant attains a passing score of 80 percent or better on the skills test, the Office of Motor Vehicles, or the designated third-party examiner, shall issue proof of successful completion in a manner prescribed by the Office of Motor Vehicles.

2. A motor carrier may require any person who presents a certificate of successful completion of a skills test to take a skills test as a condition of his employment by the motor carrier.

H. The Office of Motor Vehicles may require an applicant for a commercial driver's license to adequately demonstrate knowledge and/or skills set forth in Parts 383-399 of the federal motor carrier safety regulations, which regulations are incorporated herein and made a part hereof by reference hereto.

I. In addition to the above, all applicants for a commercial driver's license shall satisfactorily demonstrate knowledge and/or skills to be designated herein for each endorsement to a commercial driver's license.

La. Admin. Code tit. 55, § III-103

Filed by the Department of Public Safety, Office of Motor Vehicle, 1974, promulgated and amended by the Department of Public Safety and Corrections, Office of Motor Vehicles, LR 15:1090 (December 1989), amended LR 24:2312 (December 1998), LR 40:90 (January 2014).

AUTHORITY NOTE: Promulgated in accordance with R.S. 32:408.