Bill
HB 1050
Lowers intrastate CDL age to 18 and expands Class A testing options, while keeping 21+ age for interstate/HazMat roles and removing intrastate vision waivers.
HB 1050 (Louisiana, 2026) – Summary of Commercial Driver’s License Provisions
Purpose
- The bill amends and reenacts certain age-dependent requirements for commercial driver’s licenses (CDLs) and relaxes some license restrictions to reflect intrastate and interstate operations, as well as certain testing/endorsement rules. It also repeals a former intrastate vision waiver requirement.
Key Provisions and Changes
1) Age requirements for licenses
- Replaces specific age references with a general “older” standard across CDL classifications.
- Intrastate operation: A CDL for intrastate commercial motor vehicle operation (i.e., within Louisiana) would be issued to an individual 18 years of age or older.
- Interstate operation and Hazardous Materials (HazMat) endorsements: A CDL for interstate commerce or a HazMat endorsement would be issued only to a person 21 years of age or older.
- Mirrors federal age requirements noted in the Commercial Motor Vehicle Safety Act of 1986 and related federal regulations.
2) Driver’s license age-related attestations for Class E
- Present law requires an 18+ applicant (or a parent/guardian of a 17-year-old applicant) for Class E to provide a signed statement confirming 50 hours of supervised driving (with at least 15 nighttime hours; at least 21+ parent/adult). If a 17-year-old is emancipated, the applicant provides the attestation personally.
- The proposed changes maintain the attestation requirement but adjust references to age “older” rather than the specific 18/17 framework.
3) CDL testing and restrictions (Class A)
- Present law imposes restrictions on testing for Class A: if testing in a vehicle not a tractor-trailer (eighteen-wheeler), the license carries a restriction prohibiting tractor-trailer operation; lifting the restriction requires a separate Class A skills test in a tractor-trailer.
- Proposed law relaxes this: the restriction on tractor-trailer operation for non-tractor-trailer vehicles would be removed unless the applicant specifically takes a tractor-trailer skills test. It also removes the old minimum 26,001 lb threshold defining the tractor portion, allowing broader eligibility for tractor-trailer testing.
- Maintains the restriction related to a pintle hook or non-fifth-wheel connections, but lifts the restriction only after a successful fifth-wheel, Class A skills test.
4) CDL classes C, D, and E and vehicle definitions
- Present law defines the scope of Classes C, D, and E, including vehicles over 26,001 lbs and those towing up to 10,000 lbs, and defines a “straight vehicle.”
- Proposed law adds gross vehicle weight into the scope and removes the explicit “straight vehicle” definition.
- This broadens or reframes which vehicles fall under these classes and endorsements.
5) Vision requirements (intrastate waivers)
- Present law sets minimum vision requirements for intrastate (waiver) drivers.
- Proposed law repeals these vision minimum requirements (removing the intrastate waiver vision standard from statute).
Effective timeline
- The act is pending, with provisions to be adopted through the normal regulatory process (Administrative Procedure Act) and subject to federal alignment.
Who is affected
- CDL applicants and holders in Louisiana, including those seeking intrastate vs. interstate/CDL with HazMat endorsements.
- Parents/guardians involved in attestation for teen driver training.
- Training/testing programs and licensing offices administering CDL tests and waivers.
Overall impact
- Lowers some age-related barriers for intrastate CDL issuance (18+), while maintaining stricter age thresholds for interstate/HazMat roles (21+).
- Expands testing options for Class A by reducing automatic restrictions when testing for tractor-trailer operation.
- Removes the intrastate vision waiver requirement, potentially tightening or redefining waiver availability.
Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.
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