When you get a CDL, there are a variety of classes and endorsements you can train for, which enable you to drive certain vehicles and haul certain materials. Here is a break down of the classes of CDLs.
Here is a list of the endorsements available with a Kansas CDL:
Additionally, if you want to drive a vehicle with air brakes, you must take an air brakes written knowledge test and you must use a vehicle equipped with air brakes for your road test.
To get your CDL in Kansas, you must first meet the following requirements.
In order to prove that you can drive a CMV, you must complete a physical examination and self-certify that you are fit to drive. Here is the Medical Self-Certification form that you must fill out and send to the Kansas Division of Vehicles Driver's Licensing Office. Additionally, according to federal standards, you must meet with a Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration- approved doctor and fill out the Medical Examiner's Certificate to prove you meet the minimum requirements for a healthy driver.
Before you get your CDL, you must obtain your Commercial Learner's Permit. To get your permit, you will need to:
After 14 days, you are eligible to test for your CDL. During this period, you should practice driving a CMV on public roads with a licensed CDL holder. You can take the CDL test in Wichita, Topeka, Colby, or any of these testing sites.
The CDL exam will consist of:
With you, you must bring:
You should arrange to test on the same Class vehicle that you are applying for, otherwise there might be restrictions on your license.
If you have some experience driving a commercial military motor vehicle or Armed Forces equivalent, you may be able to spare yourself some time and money and have your CDL skills test waived. Kansas this waiver to those with the proper experience who are current service members or have been employed by the military in the past 12 months. You can fill out this application to waive the skills exam. You will still need to take the written tests and pay fees.
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In order to obtain a Kansas CDL there are a list of requirements that must be met, and getting your Kansas CDL involves several steps. There are medical requirements and residency requirements, along with knowledge and skills requirements. The basic requirements for getting your cdl in Kansas include:
Below we will list more general requirements, qualifications, disqualifications, and restrictions for getting a CDL in Kansas.
You will need a CDL to operate any of the following vehicles:
Each basic knowledge test covers the 20 general areas outlined in 49 CFR 383.111(a). The knowledge test shall contain at least 30 items. A separate test for drivers seeking to operate CMV's with air brakes in Kansas must cover the 7 areas outlined in 49 CFR 383.111(b).
To pass the knowledge tests (general and endorsement); applicants must correctly answer at least 80 percent of the questions.
To pass the Kansas CDL skills test, applicants must successfully perform all the required skills (listed in 49 CFR 383.113 through 49 CFR 383.123). The skills test must be taken in a vehicle representative of the type of vehicle that the applicant operates or expects to operate.
Federal standards require the state of Kansas to issue CDLs to certain commercial motor vehicle drivers only after the driver passes the knowledge and skills tests administered by the State. The vehicle you take the CDL test in must also relate to the type of vehicle the driver expects to operate.
Restrictions are placed on a Kansas CDL when a driver takes the Skills Test in a vehicle which lacks critical equipment present in particular types of CMVs. Therefore, to avoid restrictions, drivers should take the Skills Test in the same type of vehicle for which they are seeking a Kansas CDL to operate.
Drivers are required to obtain and hold a CDL in Kansas if they operate in interstate, intrastate, or foreign commerce and drive a vehicle that meets one or more of the classifications of a CMV are also described below.
The state of Kansas has the authority to substitute two years of experience safely operating trucks or buses equivalent to civilian commercial vehicles for the skills test portion of the Kansas commercial driver license (CDL) test. U.S. Military drivers must apply within one year of leaving a military position requiring operation of a commercial vehicle. The latest information (February 2017) indicates that more than 19,000 current and former military have taken advantage of the Skills Test Waiver, making them immediately eligible for employment.
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulation 49 CFR 383.77, requires the applicant to certify to an SDLA:
All commercial drivers of vehicles in interstate commerce with a maximum gross vehicle weight rating of over 10,000 pounds are required to obtain and maintain a valid Medical Examiner's Certificate (ME Certificate). CDL holders in Kansas must provide their SDLA with a copy of their ME Certificate.
A person is physically qualified to drive a CMV if that person: First perceives a forced whispered voice in the better ear at not less than five feet with or without the use of a hearing aid or if tested by use of an audiometric device, does not have an average hearing loss in the better ear greater than 40 decibels at 500Hz, 1000HZ and 2,000 Hz with or without a hearing aid when the audiometric device is calibrated to the American National Standard Z24.5-1951.
You must meet the following vision requirements:
Your urine sample will be tested in a lab for blood, sugar, and protein, which might indicate hidden health problems.
Drivers with physical impairments, which affect their ability to safely operate CMVs, must obtain a "variance" from the state of Kansas in order to be approved to drive commercially. The variance document must be carried with the commercial driver whenever they are operating a commercial motor vehicle. A Skill Performance Evaluation (SPE) is a special type of "variance" required for drivers with impaired or missing limbs (e.g., a hand or finger, an arm, foot, or leg). Drivers with missing limbs, if eligible, must obtain an SPE certificate. The commercial driver must always carry the SPE certificate at all times.
The Skill Performance Evaluation program is for CMV drivers who drive in interstate commerce. The SPE certification allows drivers with missing or impaired limbs to drive CMVs across state lines if they have been fitted with (and are wearing) the right prosthetic device, and the driver can demonstrate the ability to drive the truck safely by completing on-and off-road activities. If the driver passes the Kansas commercial vehicle driving test, he or she will receive a SPE certificate. Over the years, FMCSA has granted more than 3,000 SPE certificates to truck drivers who have shown that they can drive safely on the nation's highways.
Any person who holds a Kansas CDL is considered to have consented to such testing as is required by the state of Kansas or any State or jurisdiction in the enforcement of being under the influence of a controlled substance or using alcohol, be under the influence of alcohol, or have any measured alcohol concentration or detected presence of alcohol, while on duty, or operating, or in physical control of a commercial motor vehicle. Consent is implied by driving a commercial motor vehicle.
Although the driver has a legal prescription, he/she may be disqualified if the medication could adversely affect the driver's ability to drive a CMV safely.
FMCSA regulations specifically exempt only military personnel with comparable safe-driving experience from getting CDL's. States are authorized to provide exemptions for the rest of the following at their own discretion:
The FMCSA regulations specify certain circumstances that will disqualify a driver from legally operating a CMV, temporarily or permanently.
Issues resulting in disqualification apply only to CDL or CLP holders, or those required to have a CLP or CDL in the vehicle they are operating. Tickets, DUI or DWI, and other legal issues that happened before a driver was issued a CDL or CLP, or to non-CDL or CLP holders, who were not required to have one, will affect drivers only as far as company policy, with the exception of getting the Hazmat endorsement.
In extreme cases, the FMCSA may disqualify drivers deemed to be an "imminent hazard", and remove them from the road.
Some circumstances will result in a lifetime disqualification from operating CMV's, with some being eligible for reinstatement after 10 years. A driver who uses a CMV in the commission of a felony involving manufacturing, distributing, or dispensing a controlled substance is disqualified for life with no possibility of reinstatement.
An out-of-service order stipulates that a CDL or CLP holder not drive a commercial vehicle for a certain period of time, or until such time as they are re-instated to service.
In addition to disqualification, drivers who violate out-of-service orders will be fined a civil penalty of at least $2,500 for the first offense, and $5,000 for any additional offenses.
Follow this link to learn more about CDL Driver Disqualifications