CDL Update on Regular and Restricted Licenses

AAI has been asked to help clarify questions the Iowa Department of Transportation has been receiving on regular and restricted CDL's.

Regulations do not allow a driver to have both a regular CDL and a Restricted CDL.  So, if a driver has a CDL without a hazmat endorsement, he may not get the Restricted CDL to assist a co-op in transporting anhydrous ammonia to the farm fields and carry both licenses.  He would have to add the hazardous material endorsement to the regular CDL.   

 IADOT standard procedure is that if a driver drops a CDL, he/she must complete all the testing, knowledge and skills, to regain the CDL.  Early on during the onset of the haz mat security threat assessment program,  IADOT had allowed drivers to drop the regular CDL and apply for the Restricted CDL and at the end of the season allowed the driver to then regain the regular CDL without the knowledge and skills testing.  This was due to the delays in the completion of the security threat assessments.  However, now that the process has been significantly improved,  IADOT has discontinued waiving the retesting requirement.  This was effective January 1, 2008.

Somehow, this has been incorrectly translated into meaning that Iowa no longer issues Restricted CDLs.

IDOT and AAI wants to confirm that Iowa does indeed continue to issue Restricted CDLs.  The only change is that if a driver wants to drop an existing CDL to obtain the Restricted CDL, he/she will have to take all testing to regain the original CDL.