Statement on Comptroller's Audit from DMV Commissioner David J. Swarts

"We have received the results of the Comptroller's recent audit of the Department of Motor Vehicles process for issuing commercial driver licenses (CDL's). We are very proud of the system that we have in place to provide CDL's to the almost 600,000 residents of this state who use these licenses as an important component of state commerce. And we are pleased that the problems identified in the audit affect only a small number of CDL holders and can be easily addressed.

"We thank the Comptroller and his auditors for determining that the written tests of 14 applicants were improperly graded. Last June we put new procedures in place to diminish the possibility of improper test scoring in the future.

"A few weeks ago we also received new guidelines from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration which we are reviewing to determine our next actions to verify that CDL license applicants properly complete medical information forms and have a medical certificate authorized by a medical professional. Although this has not been a requirement for past CDL registrations, we believe the Comptroller's recommendations have merit and we will certainly look into how best to address the issue that was raised.

"I look forward to providing our final resolution of these issues to the Comptroller, the Governor and the Legislature by the April 14 due date that is mentioned in the Comptroller's report. While the processing of licenses is part of our responsibility, the primary goal of the Department of Motor Vehicles is to ensure the safety of our citizens in every way possible and we take that charge very seriously."