321.174 Operators licensed — operation of commercial motor vehicles.

1. A person, except those expressly exempted, shall not operate any motor vehicle upon a highway in this state unless the person has a driver’s license issued by the department valid for the vehicle’s operation.

2. a. A person operating a commercial motor vehicle shall not have more than one driver’s license. A nonresident may operate a commercial motor vehicle in Iowa if the nonresident has been issued a license by another state, a nonresident commercial driver’s license or nonresident commercial learner’s permit, or a driver’s license issued by a foreign jurisdiction which the federal highway administration has determined to be issued in conformity with the federal commercial driver testing and licensing standards, if the license, commercial driver’s license, commercial learner’s permit, or driver’s license is valid for the vehicle operated.

b. A person who operates a commercial motor vehicle upon the highways of this state without having been issued a driver’s license valid for the vehicle operated commits a simple misdemeanor.

c. A person who operates a commercial motor vehicle upon the highways of this state after the person’s commercial driver’s license or commercial learner’s permit has been downgraded to a noncommercial status pursuant to section 321.207 commits a simple misdemeanor.

3. A licensee shall have the licensee’s driver’s license in immediate possession at all times when operating a motor vehicle and shall display the same upon demand of a judicial magistrate, district associate judge, district judge, peace officer, or examiner of the department. If the licensee has been issued a commercial learner’s permit, the licensee’s driver’s license includes both the licensee’s commercial learner’s permit and the licensee’s underlying commercial or noncommercial driver’s license. However, a person charged with violating this subsection shall not be convicted and the citation shall be dismissed by the court if the person produces to the clerk of the district court, prior to the licensee’s court date indicated on the citation, a driver’s license issued to that person and valid for the vehicle operated at the time of the person’s arrest or at the time the person was charged with a violation of this section. Upon dismissal, the court or clerk of court shall assess the costs of the action against the defendant named on the citation.

[C31, 35, §4960-d2, -d29; C39, §5013.01, 5013.15; C46, 50, 54, 58, 62, 66, 71, 73, 75, §321.174, 321.190; C77, 79, §321.174, 321.189; C81, §321.174]

90 Acts, ch 1230, §20; 98 Acts, ch 1073, §9; 2004 Acts, ch 1120, §2; 2006 Acts, ch 1144, §4; 2011 Acts, ch 38, §7; 2015 Acts, ch 123, §48

Referred to in §321.176, 805.8A(4)(a)

For applicable scheduled fines, see §805.8A, subsection 4