A new federal law could make it harder for drivers to get and keep a commercial license.
The law penalizes drivers convicted of traffic offenses even if the violation occurred off-duty in a private car.
"The goal is to reduce the number of serious accidents with large trucks and buses," said Claudine Battisti, community relations coordinator for PennDOT's safety administration. "It's a federal mandate, but we support this because it's making highways safer."
Under regulations that took effect Sept. 30, it's easier for drivers to rack up offenses that lead to their commercial licenses being lifted. Offenses committed in a personal vehicle carry over to a driver's commercial license, as do convictions in other states.
Pennsylvania Motor Truck Association President Jim Runk said the change might make roads safer, but it also could cause a problem for the trucking industry.
He said the state already is short on drivers, and the new law could cause companies to lose quality employees.
"A concern of ours is that someone who drove his pickup too fast on the highway now has a violation on his CDL, but he never had a violation in a commercial vehicle," Runk said. "He may have had 10 years safe driving on his CDL, but we lose that guy for a period of time, and then they decide, 'Forget this. I'm not driving a truck anymore.'"
PennDOT officials said a driver should operate a vehicle safely no matter what type it is.
"If you have a commercial driver license or a commercial driver license permit, you are considered a commercial driver whether you are driving a Mack truck or a motorcycle," PennDOT Secretary Allen Biehler said. "Safe driving has no vehicle boundaries."
Jim Stewart, quality control and safety representative for Weleski Transfer in Tarentum, said the changes could affect recruiting and retaining drivers, but the 50 drivers at his company shouldn't be affected.
"Our drivers are working under stringent regulations within the company, so (the new law's) not too big of a difference," he said.
Weleski is an agent for Atlas Van Lines, based in Indiana. Stewart said Atlas already looks at employees' personal driving records, and a major offense would affect a driver's standing.
He suggested the new law would have the strongest impact on independent drivers, who have to find their customers piecemeal and set their own driving schedules.
Drivers who violate the law could end up with steep fines and driving bans of 60 days to life, depending on the type and number of offenses.
For example, two serious offenses committed within three years will result in a two-month driving ban. Three offenses in the same period would yield a four-month ban.
Drivers will be banned a year for one major offense and a lifetime for two.
Major offenses include drunken driving, leaving the scene of an accident, using a vehicle to commit a felony or causing a fatality through negligent operation of a commercial vehicle.
Lawmakers increased the fines for drivers and employers, Runk said. Some fines rose from $500 to $2,750, he said.
