TDOS Terminates Third-party Agreement with Volunteer Training Center
Friday, June 19, 2009 | 10:07am
NASHVILLE --- The Tennessee Department of Safety (TDOS) notified Volunteer Training Center, located at 819 Park Avenue in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, that the third-party agreement to administer commercial driver license (CDL) skills tests on behalf of the department has been terminated. The termination is effective, June 21, 2009.
TDOS has information indicating that Volunteer did not administer the skills test in accordance with the Rules and Regulations of the Tennessee Department of Safety, Division of Driver License Issuance, Chapter 1340-1-13, section 22,(5)(b)2 and 1340-1-13-.22(5)(b)8. As a result, the third party testing agreement has been terminated by the State of Tennessee.
“This is simply a matter of public safety,” said Department of Safety Commissioner Dave Mitchell. “Operating a commercial vehicle is a great responsibility, and we will do everything to make sure that Tennessee roads are safe for everyone who travels on them.”
The termination of Volunteer’s contract applies to all locations at which Volunteer Training Center is conducting third-party testing operations. Volunteer signed a five-year contract with TDOS as a third-party tester organization on January 1, 2009 that expires December 31, 2013. Volunteer Training Center is one of 19 third-party testing organizations with agreements to administer commercial driver license skills test on behalf of the Tennessee Department of Safety.
Third-party tester organizations agree to:
- Conform to all applicable statues and regulations of the State of Tennessee and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA).
- Abide by and conform to all applicable requirements of the Tennessee Department of Safety and FMCSA.
- Indemnify and hold harmless the Tennessee Department of Safety from and against all claims, losses, damages, costs and other proceedings made, sustained, brought or prosecuted in any manner based upon, occasioned by or attributable to any injury, infringement or damage arising from any act or omission of the Third Party Tester or their employees in the performance of this Agreement.
- The contract allows the Tennessee Department of Safety the right to immediately terminate the contract in the event the Third Party Tester fails to perform or fulfill its obligations in a timely or proper manner, or violates any terms of the contract.
No certificates for third-party testing issued by Volunteer Training Center on or after June 21, 2009, will be accepted by the Department of Safety as proof that the holder has successfully passed a Tennessee Skills Test.
Volunteer, with offices in Murfreesboro and Chattanooga, remains the object of an on-going criminal investigation by the Tennessee Highway Patrol Criminal Investigation Division (CID) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). Pending the investigation, this is all the Department of Safety can release at this time.
The Tennessee Department of Safety’s mission is (www.TN.Gov/safety) to ensure the safety and general welfare of the public. The department encompasses the Tennessee Highway Patrol, Office of Homeland Security and Driver License Services. General areas of responsibility include law enforcement, safety education, motorist services and terrorism prevention.