The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has relaxed “under-the-hood” testing rules for commercial driver’s license (CDL) applicants working in public transportation.

In a Notice published on July 16, 2025, the FMCSA announced the decision to partially grant an exemption waiver submitted by the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) asking for regulatory relief from the CDL under-the-hood testing requirement.

The APTA asked FMCSA for a five year exemption from the “under-the-hood” testing requirement for CDL applicants seeking to operate vehicles in public transportation, including interstate transportation. The group pointed to a “severe shortage of drivers” within the public transit industry as the reason for the exemption request.

Instead, the FMCSA granted a two year exemption allowing State Driver Licensing Agencies (SDLAs) the option to waive the “under-the-hood” portion of the pre-trip vehicle inspection skills test requirement for CDL applicants seeking to operate commercial motor vehicles in public transportation.

The FMCSA denied APTA’s request to allow drivers issued a CDL under this exemption to operate in interstate commerce, and the drivers operating under this exemption will be issued a K-restricted CDL with the P endorsement.

From the Notice explaining FMCSA’s decision:

“APTA argues that transit agencies are experiencing similar hiring and driver retention challenges as the school bus industry, and the transit industry should receive the same relief granted to the school bus industry, without the intrastate restriction.  FMCSA agrees that APTA’s request is similar in many respects to the National School Transportation Association’s (NSTA) request, and that similar relief is warranted. Like school buses, transit buses travel for relatively short distances and are operated in higher population density areas where mechanics or other qualified personnel are readily available to provide roadside assistance in the event of a vehicle malfunction. Unlike with other CMVs that are often operated for long distances and in remote areas, the risk of a malfunction to a transit bus in a location where only the driver is readily available to perform repairs is low.“

In December 2024, the FMCSA renewed a similar exemption request from the National School Transportation Association (NSTA) that allows states to waive the engine compartment component of the pre-trip vehicle inspection skills testing requirement for school bus driver CDL applicants. These CDL drivers have a K-restriction on their license and are not permitted to operate interstate.

“FMCSA does not believe that extending the relief beyond the relief granted to the school bus industry, to allow States to issue unrestricted CDLs under the exemption ( i.e. authorizing interstate operation), would likely achieve an equivalent level of safety. The same reasoning for why FMCSA allowed only intrastate CDLs for school bus drivers under the NSTA exemption applies here as well. The intrastate K restriction required for CDLs issued under the NSTA exemption mitigates concerns about varying State requirements and maintains State authority over driver qualifications for school bus drivers. Allowing interstate operation for drivers issued CDLs under the NSTA exemption would require States that did not adopt the exemption to allow school bus drivers who did not pass the full CDL skills test to operate in their States,” officials said in the July 16 Federal Register Notice.