(a) Except when driving with a commercial driver license learner’s permit and accompanied by the holder of a commercial driver license valid for the vehicle being driven, no person may drive a commercial motor vehicle on the highways of this state unless the person holds, and is in immediate possession of, a commercial driver license with applicable endorsements valid for the vehicle he or she is driving.

Active duty military or National Guard personnel operating government vehicles, farmers operating certain commercial motor vehicles, firefighters and operators of emergency equipment exempt from licensing provisions of the CMVSA are exempt from this article as detailed in FHWA’s “Notice of Final Disposition” published in the Federal Register, September 26, 1988, 53 FR 37313, and as hereafter updated.

Commercial driver license requirements do not apply to drivers of vehicles used for personal use such as recreational vehicles which would otherwise meet the definition of a commercial motor vehicle.

Attorney's Note

Under the Alabama Code, punishments for crimes depend on the classification. In the case of this section:
ClassPrisonFine
Violationup to 30 daysup to $200
For details, see Ala. Code § 13A-5-7

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Terms Used In Alabama Code 32-6-49.7

  • person: includes a corporation as well as a natural person. See Alabama Code 1-1-1
  • state: when applied to the different parts of the United States, includes the District of Columbia and the several territories of the United States. See Alabama Code 1-1-1
(b) No person may drive a commercial motor vehicle on the highways of this state while his or her driving privilege is suspended, revoked, or cancelled, while subject to a disqualification, or in violation of an out of service order.