January 5, 2021
My office has received numerous calls/emails already this week regarding driver's CDLs being downgraded.
CDL holders that are in the Non-Excepted medical certification category are required to provide DPS with a new medical card when their card on file expires.
(CDL holders in the Excepted medical certification category are not required to submit their medical card to DPS)
Drivers with a medical card that expired from March 1, 2020 to June 1, 2020 and did NOT submit their new medical card to DPS, were downgraded on December 30, 2020.
If you have a driver that has been downgraded, they must visit their local Driver License office in order to have the license brought back to a CDL. If your driver did submit their medical card and they feel it’s an error, they will need to bring proof of the submission to their local driver office for assistance. Unfortunately my office cannot assist them.
IMPORTANT: Drivers that have been downgraded CANNOT drive a school bus with a downgraded CDL.
It is the district's responsibility to ensure that all school bus drivers have a valid CDL with both P & S endorsements. Therefore, it is recommended that you run a driving record on all drivers to make sure no one has recently been downgraded and failed to notify you.
Thank you,
Christie Hebert
Texas Department of Public Safety
CVE Training Unit
School Bus Transportation Program
(512) 424-7396
