CDL self-reporting: what your state still requires
On 22 July 2026 FMCSA deleted the federal rule telling you to report your convictions to your own state. It did not delete the state laws that say the same thing — and it declined to tell anyone which states those are.
“FMCSA agrees with the comment from NAPT that having the information on which States continue to require drivers to notify their SDLAs of convictions outside of their State of domicile would be helpful. However, FMCSA will not be compiling this list. … Nothing in this rule absolves a CDL holder from having to comply with a State requirement if that requirement exists.”
FR 2026-12449, "Removal of Self-Reporting Requirement"
Alabama
Yes — Alabama still requires you to tell the state yourself.
- Deadline
- 30 days
- Notify
- Alabama Law Enforcement Agency — Department of Public Safety, CDL Unit
- Applies to
- Convictions in other states
Citation: Ala. Code §32-6-49.5(a)(1) · verified 2026-08-12
“Any driver holding a commercial driver license issued by this state, who is convicted of violating any state law or local ordinance relating to motor vehicle traffic control, in any other state or federal, provincial, territorial, or municipal laws of Canada, other than parking violations, must notify the Department of Public Safety in the manner specified by the department within 30 days of the date of conviction.”
Alabama also imposes its own employer-notification duty (30 days), separate from the federal one below.
Alabama publishes no official machine-readable code portal; this text was confirmed across two independent mirrors rather than the state site.
Everywhere: you still have to tell your employer
This did not change in July. 49 CFR §383.31 still requires a CDL holder convicted of a traffic violation — in any vehicle, not just a truck, and anything other than a parking ticket — to notify their current employer in writing within 30 days.
The notice has to carry all seven of these:
- Driver's full name
- Driver's license number
- Date of conviction
- The specific offense(s), and any suspension, revocation or cancellation that resulted
- Whether the violation was in a commercial motor vehicle
- Location of offense
- Driver's signature
49 CFR §383.31 · verified 2026-08-12
This is journalism, not legal advice. Every answer links to the statute so you can read it yourself — do that before you act, and confirm with your state licensing agency if anything here decides something expensive. Rules change; each row carries the date we last checked it.