Rules approved for farm use of school license, online CDL renewal


By Dar Danielson, Radio Iowa
The Iowa Transportations Commission has approved some driver’s license rule changes to comply with changes passed by lawmakers in the last legislative session.

DOT Motor Vehicle Division director, Melissa Gillett, says one change involves school licenses. She says the changes allow driving for farm-related purposes with a minor school license if the holder is employed by a farm and the distance driven is no more than 50 miles.

Those who are 14-and-half can get a minor school license and drive to and from school and school activities by themselves between 5 a.m. and 10 p.m. “Prior to the 2021 legislative change, driving for farm-related purposes was not a permitted operation of the minor school license,” Gillette says.

Gillette says they did have one question about home-school kids being able to use a minor school license for farm work.
“A school administrator is required to approve the minor school license — and home school students are eligible to be issued a minor school license if they are dual-enrolled in a school — and their designated school official provides that certificate of need for the license,” according to Gillette.

The Transportation also approved rules allowing drivers who have a commercial driver’s license or CDL to renew online.
“Prior to the 2021 legislative change, a CDL holder was not able to renew their license electronically — even though online renewal has been an option for several years for non-commercial driver’s license holders,” Gillette says. She says the rules create the online CDL renewals with a few special provisions those license holders must meet to renew online.