§ 8-2,142 — Disqualification from driving commercial vehicle; suspension, revocation or cancellation of license; notification; restoration of commercial driving privileges; fingerprints; criminal history record check

(a) A person is disqualified from driving a commercial motor vehicle for a period of not less than one year upon a first occurrence of any one of the following:
(1) While operating a commercial motor vehicle:
(A) The person is convicted of violating K.S.A. 8-2,144, and amendments thereto;
(B) the person is convicted of violating K.S.A. 8-2,132(b), and amendments thereto;
(C) the person is convicted of causing a fatality through the negligent operation of a commercial motor vehicle;
(D) the person's test refusal or test failure, as defined in subsection (m); or
(E) the person is convicted of a violation identified in subsection (a)(2)(A); or
(2) while operating a noncommercial motor vehicle:
(A) The person is convicted of a violation of K.S.A. 8-1567, and amendments thereto, or of a violation of an ordinance of any city in this state, a resolution of any county in this state or any law of another state, which ordinance or law declares to be unlawful the acts prohibited by that statute; or
(B) the person's test refusal or test failure, as defined in K.S.A. 8-1013, and amendments thereto; or
(3) while operating any motor vehicle:
(A) The person is convicted of leaving the scene of an accident; or
(B) the person is convicted of a felony, other than a felony described in subsection (e), while using a motor vehicle to commit such felony.
(b) If any offenses, test refusal or test failure specified in subsection (a) occurred in a commercial motor vehicle while transporting a hazardous material required to be placarded, the person is disqualified for a period of not less than three years.
(c) A person shall be disqualified for life upon the second or a subsequent occurrence of any offense, test refusal or test failure specified in subsection (a), or any combination thereof, arising from two or more separate incidents occurring on or after July 1, 2003.
(d) (1) Any person disqualified for life under subsection (c) who seeks to have commercial driving privileges restored after such person has been disqualified for at least 10 years shall apply in writing to the division.
(2) The division shall restore a person's commercial driving privileges if the division determines:
(A) None of the occurrences that led to the person's lifetime disqualification under subsection (c) included violations described in subsection (a)(1)(A) or (a)(1)(E);
(B) the person has had no occurrence of any offense, test refusal or test failure specified in subsection (a) during the 10-year period preceding the application;
(C) the person has had no alcohol or drug related convictions as defined in K.S.A. 8-2,128, and amendments thereto, in Kansas or any other jurisdiction during the 10-year period preceding the application;
(D) the person has no pending alcohol or drug related criminal charges in Kansas or any other jurisdiction;
(E) the person has had no convictions for violations that occurred while operating a commercial motor vehicle in Kansas or any other jurisdiction during the 10-year period preceding the application;
(F) the person has successfully completed an alcohol or drug treatment program, or a comparable program, that meets or exceeds the minimum standards approved by the Kansas department for aging and disability services if any of the disqualifying offenses were drug or alcohol related;
(G) the person is no longer a threat to the public safety of this state. The division may request, and the person shall provide, any additional information or documentation which the division deems necessary to determine the person's fitness for relicensure;
(H) the person is otherwise eligible for licensure; and
(I) the person has not previously been restored to commercial motor vehicle privileges following a prior 10-year-minimum disqualification.
(3) For purposes of verifying a person's prior 10-year alcohol and drug history, the person shall provide a copy of the person's closed criminal history from any jurisdiction to the division.
(4) If the division finds the person is eligible for restoration to commercial driving status, such person shall complete the written and driving skills examinations as specified in K.S.A. 8-2,133, and amendments thereto, before a commercial driver license is issued.
(5) If the person is found ineligible for restoration of commercial driving privileges, the division shall notify the person of such findings by certified mail and continue the denial of commercial driving privilege until such ineligibility has been disproven to the division's satisfaction.
(6) Any person who previously had such person's commercial motor vehicle privileges restored pursuant to this statute shall not be eligible to apply for restoration if such person receives another lifetime disqualification.
(7) Any person who is aggrieved by the decision of the division may appeal for review in accordance with the Kansas judicial review act, K.S.A. 77-601 et seq., and amendments thereto.
(8) The secretary of revenue shall adopt rules and regulations necessary to administer the provisions of this subsection prior to March 1, 2023.
(e) (1) A person is disqualified from driving a commercial motor vehicle for life who uses a commercial motor vehicle or noncommercial motor vehicle in the commission of any felony involving the manufacture, distribution or dispensing of a controlled substance, or possession with intent to manufacture, distribute or dispense a controlled substance.
(2) A person is disqualified from driving a commercial motor vehicle for life who uses a commercial motor vehicle in the commission of a felony involving an act or practice of severe forms of trafficking in persons. The term "severe forms of trafficking in persons" means:
(A) Sex trafficking in which a commercial sex act is induced by force, fraud or coercion, or in which the person induced to perform such act has not attained 18 years of age; or
(B) the recruitment, harboring, transportation, provision or obtaining of a person for labor or services, through the use of force, fraud or coercion for the purpose of subjection to involuntary servitude, peonage, debt bondage or slavery.
(f) A person is disqualified from driving a commercial motor vehicle for a period of not less than 60 days if convicted of two serious traffic violations, or 120 days if convicted of three or more serious traffic violations, committed in a commercial motor vehicle arising from separate incidents occurring within a three-year period. Any disqualification period under this paragraph shall be in addition to any other previous period of disqualification. The beginning date for any three-year period within a ten-year period, required by this subsection, shall be the issuance date of the citation which resulted in a conviction.
(g) A person is disqualified from driving a commercial motor vehicle for a period of not less than 60 days if convicted of two serious traffic violations, or 120 days if convicted of three or more serious traffic violations, committed in a noncommercial motor vehicle arising from separate incidents occurring within a three-year period, if such convictions result in the revocation, cancellation or suspension of the person's driving privileges.
(h) (1) A person who is convicted of operating a commercial motor vehicle in violation of an out-of-service order shall be disqualified from driving a commercial motor vehicle for a period of not less than:
(A) One hundred and eighty days nor more than one year, if the driver is convicted of a first violation of an out-of-service order;
(B) two years nor more than five years if the person has one prior conviction for violating an out-of-service order in a separate incident and such prior offense was committed within the 10 years immediately preceding the date of the present violation; or
(C) three years nor more than five years if the person has two or more prior convictions for violating out-of-service orders in separate incidents and such prior offenses were committed within the 10 years immediately preceding the date of the present violation.
(2) A person who is convicted of operating a commercial motor vehicle in violation of an out-of-service order while transporting a hazardous material required to be placarded under 49 U.S.C. § 5101 et seq. or while operating a motor vehicle designed to transport more than 15 passengers, including the driver, shall be disqualified from driving a commercial motor vehicle for a period of not less than:
(A) One hundred and eighty days nor more than two years if the driver is convicted of a first violation of an out-of-service order; or
(B) three years nor more than five years if the person has a prior conviction for violating an out-of-service order in a separate incident and such prior offense was committed within the 10 years immediately preceding the date of the present violation.
(i) (1) A person who is convicted of operating a commercial motor vehicle in violation of a federal, state or local law or regulation pertaining to one of the following six offenses at a railroad-highway grade crossing shall be disqualified from driving a commercial motor vehicle for the period of time specified in paragraph (2) for persons:
(A) Who are not required to always stop, failing to slow down and check that the tracks are clear of an approaching train;
(B) who are not required to always stop, failing to stop before reaching the crossing, if the tracks are not clear;
(C) who are always required to stop, failing to stop before driving onto the crossing;
(D) failing to have sufficient space to drive completely through the crossing without stopping;
(E) failing to obey a traffic control device or the directions of an enforcement official at the crossing; or
(F) failing to negotiate a crossing because of insufficient undercarriage clearance.
(2) A driver shall be disqualified from driving a commercial motor vehicle for not less than:
(A) Sixty days if the driver is convicted of a first violation of a railroad-highway grade crossing violation;
(B) one hundred and twenty days if, during any three-year period, the driver is convicted of a second railroad-highway grade crossing violation in separate incidents; or
(C) one year if, during any three-year period, the driver is convicted of a third or subsequent railroad-highway grade crossing violation in separate incidents.
(j) The division may require a person applying for a commercial driver's license to be fingerprinted and submit to a state and national criminal history record check in accordance withK.S.A. 2024 Supp. 22-4714, and amendments thereto.
(k) After suspending, revoking or canceling a commercial driver's license, the division shall update its records to reflect that action within 10 days. After suspending, revoking or canceling a nonresident commercial driver's privileges, the division shall notify the licensing authority of the state which issued the commercial driver's license or nonresident commercial driver's license within 10 days. The notification shall include both the disqualification and the violation that resulted in the disqualification, suspension, revocation or cancellation.
(l) Upon receiving notification from the licensing authority of another state, that it has disqualified a commercial driver's license holder licensed by this state, or has suspended, revoked or canceled such commercial driver's license holder's commercial driver's license, the division shall record such notification and the information such notification provides on the driver's record.
(m) Upon suspension, revocation, cancellation or disqualification of a commercial driver's license under this act, the license shall be immediately surrendered to the division if still in the licensee's possession. If otherwise eligible, and upon payment of the required fees, the licensee may be issued a noncommercial driver's license for the period of suspension, revocation, cancellation or disqualification of the commercial driver's license under the same identifier number.
(n) As used in this section, "test refusal" means a person's refusal to submit to and complete a test requested pursuant to K.S.A. 8-2,145, and amendments thereto; "test failure" means a person's submission to and completion of a test which determines that the person's alcohol concentration is.04 or greater, pursuant to K.S.A. 8-2,145, and amendments thereto.
(o) If a person is disqualified for life under on subsection (c), and at least one of the disqualifying incidents occurred prior to July 1, 2003, the person may apply to the secretary of revenue for review of the incidents and modification of the disqualification. The secretary shall adopt rules and regulations establishing guidelines, including conditions, to administer this subsection prior to March 1, 2023.

Legislative History

L. 1989, ch. 38, § 18; L. 1991, ch. 36, § 17; L. 2003, ch. 42, § 7; L. 2005, ch. 31, § 4; L. 2006, ch. 54, § 7; L. 2011, ch. 105, § 7; L. 2012, ch. 172, § 10; L. 2018, ch. 106, § 5; L. 2022, ch. 80, § 8; L. 2024, ch. 15, § 10; July 1.