Commercial Driver's License Program Implementation Grant

 

Assist States in complying with CDL requirements and dedicate funding to priority activities for research, development and testing, demonstration projects, public education, and other special activities and projects relating to commercial drivers licensing.

General information about this opportunity
Last Known Status
Active
Program Number
20.232
Federal Agency/Office
Federal Motor Carrier Safety, Department of Transportation
Type(s) of Assistance Offered
B - Project Grants
Program Accomplishments
Fiscal Year 2016 49 Grants were awarded for a total of $30,673,509. These awards were provided to assist States in achieving and/or maintaining compliance with the requirements of 49 CFR Parts 383 and 384, for the electronic transmission of skills testing and driver history records, for multi-state partnerships, for training, to address open findings in the Automated Compliance Review System, to facilitate multi-platform compatibility within State systems, to enable States to comply with new CDL-related rule-makings, and to facilitate the accuracy, completeness, and timeliness of CDL data.
Fiscal Year 2017 Awarded 43 Fiscal Year (FY) 2017 CDLPI grants totaling $31,200,000.
Fiscal Year 2018 In FY 2018, CDLPI awarded $31 million in grant funds to 39 State and non-profit entities.
Fiscal Year 2019 In FY 2019, the FMCSA will have approximately $32 million in available CDLPI grant funding to make awards. Presently, the FMCSA is reviewing applications submitted under this program for ranking and funding recommendations. These recommendations must be made and approved by the Secretary’s office, prior to grant awards being issued. These steps must be completed before September 30, 2019, or the grant funding is returned to the U.S. Treasury.
Fiscal Year 2020 Presently, in anticipation of appropriations at the full FY 2020 authorization level of approximately $32.7 million, the FMCSA is developing the Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for review and approval by the Department. The Secretary must approve the NOFO prior to public posting.
Authorization
The Fixing America’s Surface Transportation (FAST) Act, Pub. L. No. 114-94, §§ 5101 and 5104 (2015)., Public Law 114-94
The CDLPI financial assistance program is governed by 49 U.S.C. §§ 31104 and 31313. In accordance with the provisions of the Continuing Appropriations Act, 2018 (P.L. 115-56).
Who is eligible to apply/benefit from this assistance?
Applicant Eligibility
States may receive grant funds to comply with the requirements of section 31311 of SAFETEA-LU or if making good faith efforts toward substantial compliance with the requirements of section 31311 and 31313 receive grant funds to improve implementation of the commercial driver's license program. States, local governments, and other persons for projects involving research, development, demonstration projects, public education, and other special activities and projects relating to commercial driver licensing and motor vehicle safety that are of benefit to all jurisdictions of the United States or are designed to address national safety concerns and circumstances. States, local governments, and other persons may use grant funds to address emerging issues relating to commercial driver's license improvements.
Beneficiary Eligibility
14 - State (includes District of Columbia, public institutions of higher education and hospitals) 15 - Local (includes State-designated Indian Tribes, excludes institutions of higher education and hospitals) 20 - Public nonprofit institution/organization 38 - other private institutions/organizations 39 - anyone/general public
Credentials/Documentation
Evidence of eligibility and of negotiated indirect rates and audit by cognizant agency; documentation of requested amounts and how those figures were calculated.
What is the process for applying and being award this assistance?
Pre-Application Procedure
Preapplication coordination is not applicable.
Application Procedure
2 CFR 200, Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards applies to this program. Detailed application instructions and forms are available on Grants.gov. Applications must be submitted using Grants.gov
Award Procedure
90-120 days of the submission deadline (subject to availability of funds) or as soon thereafter as administratively practicable. Applicants must register with the System of Awards Management and with Grants.gov to apply for funding. Applications should be submitted in accordance with the instructions provided and must be submitted electronically to FMCSA through the Grants.gov website.
Deadlines
Contact the headquarters or regional location, as appropriate for application deadlines
Approval/Disapproval Decision Time
From 90 to 120 days
Appeals
Not applicable.
Renewals
Not applicable.
How are proposals selected?
All discretionary (competitive) grant program applications undergo a series of reviews prior to award selection as required in 2 CFR SSSS 200.204 and 205. These reviews include: 1) technical review that provides an independent assessment of the technical/programmatic merit of an application. At least three qualified individuals are selected to review each application to ensure diversity of perspective and knowledge. Individuals are selected based on their technical education and experience and the extent to which the individual has engaged in relevant work, the capacities in which the individual has done so, and the quality of such work; 2) suitability review that provides a risk assessment on each applicant's organization to ensure the applicant is suitable to receive and manage Federal funds. The risk assessment is conducted in several parts: 1) a debarment and suspension review that included a review of the applicant's administrative capability self-certification and a check against the applicant's records in the System for Award Management (www.sam.gov); 2) a review of the applicant's history with other Federal agencies in the Single Audit Clearinghouse Database; and 3) an evaluation of the applicant's Single Audit in accordance with the Single Audit Act; 3) past performance review that provides information that is considered as a possible indicator for predicting future performance. Many applicants for FMCSA programs have received FMCSA funding in the past and will be evaluated against their ability to complete prior year awards on-time, compliance with grant terms and conditions, and results from FMCSA grant monitoring activities. Applicants with no prior FMCSA grant awards will not be eliminated from funding consideration; and 4) budget/cost analysis that provides an assessment of allowable costs in accordance with Federal grant requirements, the cost realism of the budget estimate, appropriateness and reasonableness of resources, and reasonableness and feasibility of the schedule relative to the application timeline. Importantly, the budget evaluation provides initial insight to project-related risk, beyond those dealing with technical uncertainty, which is considered prior to recommendation. Application budgets are evaluated based on the same standards to which recipients will be held after award, which are outlined in the cost principles at 2 CFR part 200.101(c) Subpart E for all non-Federal entities, including commercial organizations.
How may assistance be used?
Assist States and ensure State is making a good faith effort toward substantial CDL compliance; improve the State’s implementation of its computer hardware and software; pay for publications, testing, personnel, training, quality control, CDL program coordinators; and implement or maintain a system to notify an employer of an operator of a CMV of the suspension or revocation of the operator’s CDL. For Priority Activities: Promote activities that benefit all U.S. jurisdictions; address National safety concerns and circumstances; address emerging issues relating to CDL improvements; support innovative ideas and solutions to CDL issues; or other CDL issues as determined by FMCSA.
What are the requirements after being awarded this opportunity?
Reporting
Performance Reports: Through reports and regular contact with the Grantee by phone, site visits, and annual performance and skills test reviews.
Auditing
See www.grants.gov for individual award announcements.
Records
Records of all program activities covered in the grant proposal. Such records must be kept for 3 years following the end of the grant project period.
Other Assistance Considerations
Formula and Matching Requirements
Statutory formula is not applicable to this assistance listing.

Matching requirements are not applicable to this assistance listing.

MOE requirements are not applicable to this assistance listing.
Length and Time Phasing of Assistance
The maximum period of performance for a grant is year of award plus an additional four fiscal years. All new application proposals will be evaluated to ensure that proposed projects can be achieved within the requested timeframe. There is no mandatory minimum grant duration. Amendment requests to extend the period of performance beyond the period of availability described above will not be approved. Reimbursement of actual expenditures
Who do I contact about this opportunity?
Regional or Local Office
Contact your regional/local office at: https://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/mission/field-offices
Headquarters Office
FMCSA Grants Management Office
1200 New Jersey Ave., SE
Washington, DC 20590 US
FMCSA_GrantMgmtHelpDesk@dot.gov
Phone: (202) 366-0621
Website Address
https://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/mission/grants
Financial Information
Account Identification
69-8158-0-7-401
Obligations
(Project Grants) FY 18$31,323,000.00; FY 19 est $32,000,000.00; FY 20 est $32,700,000.00; FY 17$31,200,000.00; FY 16$30,673,509.00; - Salary and Expenses -- In part or in full; applications may include other eligible costs such as travel, supplies, contractual expenses, and indirect costs.
Range and Average of Financial Assistance
$20,000 - $1,500,000
Regulations, Guidelines and Literature
49 CFR Part 383 and 384
Examples of Funded Projects
Fiscal Year 2016 2016 Funded projects include, but are not limited to data integration, addressing data backlog, training on the use of automated skills testing systems, expanding system capabilities to include mobile platforms, fraud prevention using facial recognition software, correction of data errors, outreach to court officers in the correct adjudicating and reporting of CDL convictions, outreach to State partners, operational support of the skills testing system platform, examiner Train-the Trainer and refresher training, replacing paper-based systems with electronic systems for use in testing and in reporting data, and overt and covert monitoring of examiners.
Fiscal Year 2017 Funded a project to upload and cleanse medical certificate data for programming services to integrate the State’s system with the Commercial Skills Test Information Management System (CSTIMS) to receive out-of-state and third party test scores electronically.
Fiscal Year 2018 CDLPI Basic Grants - Only SDLAs are eligible. Applications that support the development, implementation, and maintenance of all or part of the CDL program or that have a direct impact on a State’s compliance with the provisions of 49 C.F.R. parts 383 and 384. For FY 2018, priority is given to funding projects that will enable States to achieve and/or sustain full compliance or, in the case of a State that is making a good faith effort toward substantial compliance with the requirements in 49 U.S.C. §§ 31311 and 31313, to improve the implementation of its CDL program. Priority will be given to applications that also assist States in achieving or sustaining compliance with the requirements of related rulemakings, such as the CDL Testing and Commercial Learner’s Permit (CLP) Standards Final Rule and the Medical Examiner’s Certification Integration Rule. CDLPI High Priority/Emerging Issues Grants - States, local governments, and other entities capable of executing national projects that aid States in their compliance efforts and improving the National CDL Program are eligible. Examples include projects that support research, development, innovation, demonstration projects, public education, and other activities that directly relate to improving the CDL process and increasing motor vehicle safety, that are of benefit to all jurisdictions in the United States, or are designed to address national safety concerns and circumstances. Applications for CDLPI grant funding that provide training and/or technical assistance, facilitate the timeliness, accuracy, and completeness of CDL data exchange; offer direct guidance or consultation to CDL stakeholders on best practices, or demonstrate an innovative approach (e.g., establishing a project to reduce the CDL skills testing delays, implementing an employer notification system) with potential benefit to the National CDL Program are also eligible for High Priority/Emerging Issues grant funding. Section 32303 of the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act (MAP- 21) supports the establishment of CDL notification systems (i.e., Employee Notification Systems, or ENS). The FMCSA will set aside up to $10 million in grant funding for establishing CDL notification systems.
Fiscal Year 2019 CDLPI Basic Grants and Cooperative Agreements - Only SDLAs are eligible. Proposed projects must either support the development, implementation, and maintenance of all or part of the CDL program, or have a direct impact on a State’s compliance with the provisions of 49 CFR parts 383 and 384. CDLPI High Priority/Emerging Issues Cooperative Agreements and Grants - States, local governments, and other entities capable of executing National projects that aid States in their compliance efforts and improve the National CDL Program are eligible. Examples include projects that support research, development, innovation, demonstration projects, public education, and other activities that directly relate to improving the CDL process and increasing motor vehicle safety, that are of benefit to all jurisdictions in the United States, are designed to address National safety concerns and circumstances, or are being considered for National implementation.

 



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