PAM Transport Seeks FMCSA Exemption on CDL Learner's Permit Supervision
PAM Transport Inc. has asked FMCSA for a five-year exemption from 49 CFR 383.25(a)(1), the rule requiring a CDL holder to sit in the front seat next to a commercial learner's permit (CLP) holder who is driving. PAM wants the CDL holder to stay in the vehicle but not necessarily in the passenger seat, for CLP holders who have already passed their CDL skills test but have not yet received CDL credentials.
PAM said the change would let newly tested drivers start working sooner, including on a revenue trip back to their home state to pick up CDL documents, instead of sitting idle or being sent home. The carrier estimates 500 to 700 CLP holders a year would operate under the exemption. PAM said it would verify each driver's permit, license, skills-test completion, endorsements, medical qualification and clean driving record before allowing operation, and would pull any driver who becomes ineligible.
FMCSA has not indicated whether it will grant or deny the request. The agency will decide after reviewing comments and PAM's safety analysis, which is in the docket.
What's next
- Comments on docket FMCSA-2026-3466 are due 2026-11-26, 30 days after the notice's Federal Register publication.
- FMCSA will publish its grant or denial decision, with any terms, in a future Federal Register notice.
All sources
- Notice (public inspection): Exemption Application: Commercial Driver's License; PAM Transport, Inc. — Federal Register public inspection (Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration), 2026-10-27
