Commercial Driver's License Standards; Application for Exemption; Volvo Trucks North America, Inc.
Notice of application for exemption; request for comments.
FMCSA announces that Volvo Trucks North America, Inc. (Volvo) has applied for an exemption from the Federal requirement for drivers of commercial motor vehicles (CMVs) to hold a commercial driver's license (CDL). Volvo requests that the exemption cover seven Swedish engineers and technicians who will test-drive CMVs for Volvo within the United States. All seven Volvo employees hold a valid Swedish CDL. Volvo states the exemption is needed to support a Volvo field test to meet future air quality standards, and to test-drive Volvo prototype vehicles to verify results in ``real world'' environments. Volvo believes the knowledge and skills tests and training program that Swedish drivers undergo to obtain a Swedish CDL ensures the exemption would provide a level of safety that is equivalent to, or greater than, the level of safety obtained by complying with the U.S. requirements for a CDL.