HD79 - Interim Report: Review of Commercial Driver-Training Schools in Virginia


Executive Summary:
During calendar year 1996, there were almost five million licensed drivers in the State of Virginia according to the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV). To qualify for a license, some of these drivers had to successfully complete a licensed driver education program. All of these programs are available either through a public or private high school or a commercial driver-training school. Since July 1995, individuals can receive a driver's license upon successful completion of a driver education course through a licensed commercial school program without having DMV administer the road skills examination.

House Joint Resolution 470 of the 1997 Session of the General Assembly directed the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission (JLARC) to review the effectiveness of State oversight of commercial driver-training schools by DMV (Appendix A). The mandate further specified that JLARC focus on the licensing and monitoring of such schools and supporting infrastructures. DMV licenses all owners, operators, and instructors of commercial driver-training schools. In conjunction, DMV also monitors the operation of these schools for compliance with provisions in the Code of Virginia and approved regulations.

This interim report contains two main components. First, it provides an overview of the State's commercial driving schools and their role in providing driver education. Second, it describes DMV's oversight function as it relates to the licensing and monitoring of commercial driving schools.