Tennessee legislation · 114th General Assembly
Tennessee HB1817: AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 55 and Title 65, Chapter 15, relative to commercial driver licenses.
Status: Chaptered, June 18, 2026
Fiscal Summary OTHER FISCAL IMPACT The legislation will require updates to the Department of Safety’s A-List software system. The updates are assumed to be accomplished by the relevant vendor under the current contractual agreement at no additional cost to the department. However, if the relevant contract provision is exhausted by this and other legislation subsequently enacted, the Department of Safety could incur an additional increase in expenditures estimated to be $305,000 as provided by the vendor, in FY26-27. Bill Summary If at any time an employee who operates a commercial motor vehicle (CMV) is unable to read and speak English well enough to converse with the general public, understand highway traffic signs and signals, respond to official inquiries, and make entries on reports and records as required by federal regulations, then this bill prohibits employers from knowingly allowing, permitting, or authorizing the employee to operate a CMV in the United States. However, it is not a violation if an employee fails to meet the hearing standard under federal regulations, obtains an exemption from that requirement, and is capable of reading and writing in English, even if they cannot speak English sufficiently for the above-outlined purposes. OUT-OF-SERVICE ORDERS If an enforcement officer determines during the course of a safety inspection that a driver is in violation of the above requirements, then this bill requires the officer to issue an out-of-service order to the driver that also prevents the vehicle from being operated until a substitute driver capable of reading and speaking English sufficiently is present to operate the vehicle in place of the original driver. The citation is considered a nonmoving traffic violation and points must not be added to the driver's record. In addition to issuance of the out-of-service ord
What the bill says
From the amended text:
House Transportation 1 Amendment No. 1 to HB1817 Howell Signature of Sponsor AMEND S e n ate Bill No. 1748* House Bill No. 1817 by deleting all language after the enacting clause and substituting: SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 55-50-405, is amended by adding the following as a new subsection: (j) (1) (A) The commissioner shall suspend the commercial driver license of a driver who is issued an out-of-service order pursuant to § 6515-111(g) or is otherwise found to be unable to read and speak the English language sufficiently to converse with the general public, to understand highway traffic signs and signals, to respond to official inquiries, and to make entries on reports and records as required by 49 CFR 391.11(b)(2). (B) Subdivision (j)(1)(A) does not apply if the (ii) Is capable of reading and writing in the English language; and (iii) Presents documentation that the driver fails to meet the hearing standard under 49 CFR 391.41(b)(11) and has obtained an exemption from that requirement. HA0700 (2) A commercial driver license suspended pursuant to subdivision (j)(1) remains suspended until the driver takes and passes the written commercial driver license test administered in English. SECTION 2. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 65-15-111, is amended by adding the following as a new subsection: (g) (1) If an enforcement officer determines during the …