Commercial Driver's License Standards: Application for Exemption; Daimler Trucks North America (Daimler)

Summary: FMCSA announces its decision to grant Daimler Trucks North America's (Daimler) application for an exemption for a Daimler driver to drive commercial motor vehicles (CMV) in the United States without possessing a commercial driver's license (CDL) issued by one of the States. The driver is Dr. Wolfgang Bernhard, head of the Daimler Trucks and Bus Division, who will test-drive Daimler vehicles on U.S. roads to better understand product requirements for these vehicles in ``real world'' environments and verify results. He holds a valid German CDL but lacks the U.S. residency necessary to obtain a CDL issued by one of the States. FMCSA believes that the process for obtaining a German- issued CDL is comparable to or is effective as the U.S. CDL requirements and ensures that this driver will likely achieve a level of safety that is equivalent to or greater than the level of safety that would be obtained in the absence of the exemption.