BILL ANALYSIS Ó
SENATE TRANSPORTATION & HOUSING COMMITTEE BILL NO: ab 82
SENATOR MARK DESAULNIER, CHAIRMAN AUTHOR: jeffries
VERSION: 2/23/11
Analysis by: Jennifer Gress FISCAL: yes
Hearing date: June 7, 2011 URGENCY: YES
SUBJECT:
Driver's licenses: firefighting equipment
DESCRIPTION:
This bill requires a person who operates firefighting equipment
to obtain either a class A or B license as appropriate for the
size and configuration of the firefighting equipment or a class
C license, a restricted class A license, or a noncommercial
class B license with a firefighter endorsement.
ANALYSIS:
In order to operate a motor vehicle upon the highway, a person
must hold a valid driver's license appropriate for the type of
vehicle he or she is driving. To obtain a driver's license, a
person must apply to the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) and
pass a written test of the person's knowledge of the laws
governing the operation of vehicles and his or her ability to
understand simple English used in traffic signs, a
behind-the-wheel driving test taken in the type of vehicle that
he or she is seeking the license to drive, and vision and
hearing tests. Persons who apply for a class A or B license
must also provide a report from a medical examination that was
conducted no longer than two years prior to the application for
a driver's license.
The different classes of driver's licenses required to operate
different types of vehicles are as follows:
A class C license is the most common driver's license, typically
used to operate passenger cars and pick-up trucks.
A class B license is valid for the operation of the following
vehicles:
AB 82 (JEFFRIES) Page 2
All vehicles covered in class C
A single vehicle with three or more axles weighing more
than 6,000 pounds
A bus except a trailer bus
A farm labor vehicle
A single vehicle with three or more axles or a GVWR of
more than 26,000 pounds towing another vehicle with a GVWR
of 10,000 pounds or less
A house car over 40 feet in length
AB 82 (JEFFRIES) Page 3
A class A license is valid to operate the following vehicles:
All vehicles covered in Class B and C
A combination of vehicles, if a vehicle being towed has
a GVWR of more than 10,000 pounds
A vehicle towing more than one vehicle
A trailer bus
Class A and B licenses are typically required to operate
vehicles used in commerce. Licensees are thus subject to the
commercial licensing program, which is governed by federal law
and imposes stricter sanctions on drivers who violate motor
vehicle laws than those that typically apply to drivers with
noncommercial licenses. Existing law does, however, provide for
a noncommercial class B license for the operation of a house car
that is more than 40 feet in length, a restricted class A
license for the operation of any two-axle vehicle weighing 4,000
pounds or more unladen when towing a livestock trailer that has
a gross vehicle weight rating between 10,000 and 15,000 pounds,
and a restricted class A license for the operation of any
two-axle vehicle weighing 4,000 pounds or more unladen when
towing a trailer with a gross vehicle weight rating of more than
10,000 pounds or a fifth-wheel travel trailer with a gross
vehicle weight rating of more than 15,000 pounds (e.g.,
campers).
Because most firefighting equipment is included in either class
A or B, firefighters who operated firefighting equipment were,
until last year, required to obtain a class A or B license or a
restricted firefighter license, which had similar requirements
as the class A and B licenses. Last year, however, the
Legislature passed AB 1648 (Jeffries), Chapter 360, to allow a
firefighter to operate firefighting equipment with a class C
license, provided the firefighter obtained a firefighter
endorsement, which that bill established. Specifically, the
bill required a person who is operating firefighting equipment,
as defined, to "obtain and maintain a firefighter endorsement
issued by the department and maintain a class A, class B, or
class C license" Ýemphasis added].
This bill requires a person who operates firefighting equipment
to obtain either a class A or B license as appropriate for the
size and configuration of the firefighting equipment or a class
C license, a restricted class A license, or a noncommercial
class B license with a firefighter endorsement. The bill also
makes two technical, clarifying changes.
AB 82 (JEFFRIES) Page 4
COMMENTS:
Purpose . According to the author, this bill is a clean-up
measure to last year's AB 1648 (Jeffries). As written, AB 1648
inadvertently placed additional burdens on firefighters, their
local departments, and the DMV by requiring firefighters who
already have a class A or B license to also obtain the
firefighter endorsement. The author asserts that was not the
Legislature's intent when it passed AB 1648 and that this bill
corrects this error.
Assembly Votes:
Floor: 60-0
Appr: 16-0
Trans: 13-0
AB 82 (JEFFRIES) Page 5
POSITIONS: (Communicated to the Committee before noon on
Wednesday,
June 1, 2011)
SUPPORT: California State Firefighters' Association, Inc.
Regional Council of Rural Counties
OPPOSED: None received.