In Maryland, the long road from learner’s permit to a full driver’s license might soon get a lot shorter for adults.
A bill moving through the Maryland General Assembly would let drivers 18 and older skip the state’s provisional license stage, a change supporters say would clear a paperwork hurdle for people trying to get to work, not just get on the road. Vocational students and training centers in Baltimore say employers and insurers sometimes require a full license for certain jobs, which leaves applicants stuck even after they pass their road test. Lawmakers in Annapolis are taking up the measure this week.
What the bill would do
Senate Bill 856, sponsored by Sen. Charles E. Sydnor and cross-filed as House Bill 1338 by Delegate Sheila Ruth, would eliminate the provisional license requirement for anyone 18 or older and let adults who finish certified driver education attempt a full skills test much sooner.
Under the proposal, an 18 to 24-year-old could take the skills exam after roughly three months of supervised practice, while applicants 25 and older could be eligible in about 45 days. Current law generally requires a provisional period of 18 months. The bill’s fiscal and policy note warns that the change could reduce Transportation Trust Fund revenue by potentially hundreds of thousands of dollars annually and says the Motor Vehicle Administration can make the needed programming changes with existing resources, according to the Maryland General Assembly.
Local workforce crunch
Staff and students at NCIA’s Baltimore Vocational Training Center say the “provisional” label is an unexpected roadblock to careers in HVAC, autobody, and commercial driving. “You essentially leave people out of the workforce,” NCIA CEO Carole Argo told WBAL, as trainees described employers and insurers who treat provisional license holders as ineligible for certain roles…