U.S. Department of Transportation
Federal Highway Administration
1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
Washington, DC 20590
202-366-4000
States use FHWA Form 562 to report the number of driver licenses issued during the year and the fees collected for these licenses. States also report numbers of licensed drivers by kind of license, age or age group, and sex.
FHWA uses the data on driver licenses for many purposes, including recording historical information for a dataset. These datasets serve as inputs to business processes such as analysis of highway investment needs, HTF monitoring, Federal-aid Highway Program fund apportionment, and technical assistance.
FHWA uses data from FHWA Form 562 in compiling tables that it publishes in the annual Highway Statistics publication. Data on licensed drivers and licensing fees is used extensively for highway planning, highway safety, and tax revenue projections.
Researchers and academia use the data for safety analysis, such as of driver crash rates, and to analyze trends that affect travel demand and system performance, such as the numbers of licensed drivers in various age groups. The insurance industry, for example, uses driver license registration data in its risk models.
State DOTs are ultimately responsible for the submission of FHWA Form 562 to FHWA. Different States have different organizational structures, but typically, the State department of motor vehicles, department of public safety, or revenue department is responsible for collecting and submitting driver license data to FHWA. If the State DOT relies on other offices and agencies for the data required for FHWA Form 562, it should ensure that their processes for data collection meet the reporting requirements. Coordination among agencies to establish processes for translation or transformation of data may be necessary to meet reporting requirements.
The FHWA division office should coordinate with State agencies to identify the agencies, offices, and personnel responsible for data collection, preparation, quality control, and submission. Some division offices form user groups to encourage coordination among agencies for the preparation of data for FHWA.
Absence of coordination among State agencies may affect data quality and timeliness; staff turnover and retirement can disrupt established processes and affect data quality and timeliness. State agencies are encouraged to document their standard operating procedures for data collection, analysis, and reporting to ensure the transfer of this essential knowledge when staff leave the agency. Proper documentation and knowledge transfer minimize the learning curve for new staff and reduce knowledge gaps that could lead to the reporting of erroneous data.
The State DOT should notify FHWA Office of Highway Policy Information of the contact information of the staff responsible for data preparation, including the person’s name, position title, office or agency name, email address, and phone number.
This section summarizes recent changes in requirements for completing FHWA Form 562. The FHWA conducted a reassessment of the driver licensing program, including a review of the historic data, to determine the extent to which the data collected is used for publication. The FHWA also sought and received information from States about their reporting systems and limitations for data collection. The FHWA also surveyed other Federal agencies about how they use the data in FHWA Form 562 and which data they would like FHWA to continue collecting. With this information, the FHWA made the following changes to the reporting requirements for FHWA Form 562.
States may have to give special consideration to certain issues while compiling driver license data or may have unique circumstances in the collection and reporting of driver license data. The following provides information about how to treat some of these special considerations.
Do not include data on learner or instruction permits in data on licenses for all age groups.
All States have some kind of graduated licensing program for new drivers. Graduated licensing programs usually have three stages:
Rules for graduated licensing vary by State, and States have different laws for the age at which teens are allowed to drive. In most states, drivers under 16 with learner permits are allowed to drive only under supervision, hence should not be reported in FHWA Form 562. Some States allow teens below the age of 16 to obtain a provisional license, and some States issue under-16 licenses for special cases such as during the harvest season and for the purpose of going to and from school.
Provisional or fully unrestricted licenses issued for drivers under the age of 16 during the reporting period should be reported only on FHWA Form 562.
| Include or Exclude | |
|---|---|
 |
 |
|
|
Do not include licenses with a status of suspended at the end of the reporting year. Do not include licenses canceled because of emigration, death, or revocation during the year.
Some States do not collect the exact age of drivers, especially for older age groups. For example, a State may only record the age of a driver over 75 years of age as “over 75 years” without recording the actual age. In some cases, the State collects the data, but the State’s systems cannot output the data for the age groups required for FHWA Form 562. These States may have to estimate the number of driver licenses for these age groups. See Items 2 to 23, Age Groups from 16 to 85 and Older for instructions on breaking down the driver license data by age group for the older population.
Some States issue licenses to individuals who do not have a license to drive an automobile but are eligible to drive motorcycles or scooters. For States that issue motorcycle-only licenses, report these licenses by age group on FHWA Form 562 in items 1 to 23. Motorcycle endorsement on driving licenses should not be counted as a separate entry under these items.
Reporting and form submission are done through the online FHWA portal to Fuels and FASH, the FHWA data-reporting software. The form can be partially completed, and entries saved for later submission.
An explanation of each item in the form is provided in the following section.
Commercial driver license—The CDL group is defined in 49 CFR 383.91. The Commercial Motor Vehicle Safety Act of 1986 establishes minimum standard requirements and requires a single State-issued license for operators of commercial motor vehicles.
Non-commercial—A non-CDL is the standard driver license, with which drivers may drive a vehicle for recreational or professional reasons. Non-CDLs include licenses for taxi drivers, food delivery drivers, and small truck drivers. Non-commercial drivers may drive only certain types of vehicles. A non-CDL does not allow the driver to operate vehicles over 26,000-pound gross vehicle weight, vehicles with trailers of more than 10,000 pounds gross vehicle weight, passenger vehicles of more than 10 passengers, or hazmat vehicles.
Class A—Issued to drivers of any combination of vehicles with a gross combined weight rating or gross combined weight of 26,001 pounds or more (ex.: tractor-trailers, truck and trailer combination, tank vehicles, flatbeds).
Class B—Issued to drivers of any single vehicle with a gross combined weight rating or gross combined weight of 26,001 pounds or more. Examples are straight trucks, large passenger buses, articulated buses, box trucks, dump trucks and small trailers.
Class C—Issued to drivers of any single vehicle, or combination of vehicles, that does not meet the definition of Class A or Class B, but is either designed to transport 16 or more passengers, including the driver, or is used in the transportation of hazardous materials as defined in 49 CFR 383.5. Examples are passenger vans, combination vehicles not covered by class A and B, and Small Hazmat vehicles.
All other classes—All classes besides A, B, and C; may include endorsements and restrictions.
This is for the number of driver licenses active during the reporting year, for commercial and non-commercial, broken down by age and sex.
Entries should exclude learner or instruction permits, non-driver identification cards, and any license in a suspended status. Also exclude licenses canceled because of emigration, death, or revocation.
States should not treat licenses endorsed for motorcycle as a separate license, but motorcycle-only licenses should be considered separate licenses.
Enter the data by sex and age.
This item is for all licenses issued for drivers under 16 years old for the reporting period. Only a few States issue driver licenses for drivers under age 16. Only those States should report licenses here. If your State licenses drivers under age 16, enter the number of licenses issued, by gender. If your State does not license drivers under 16 years old, enter 0 for male, female, and other.
Record driver licenses issued during the reporting period for drivers in the following age groups. Each group has a separate item number for data entry:
Enter the total number of driver licenses in the appropriate column.
If State driver licensing systems do not accommodate data collection for all age groups in items 2 through 23, estimate the data for the missing age groups. Estimate using the observed distribution of the general resident population by age and sex. If State population data for age and sex exists, use State data. Otherwise, use annual U.S. Census Bureau estimates of the resident population, which is broken down by year and by male or female. To estimate, use the percentage distribution of the general resident population by age and sex. See the sample calculation in the box on the next page.
If a State cannot pull data for a certain age cohort, it should provide estimates for male and female only. Regardless of which source is used, specify the data source in the note.
Fuels and FASH calculates the total automatically by summing all licenses issued for all age groups for each column (male and female).
This section is for the number of driver licenses issued during the reporting period. Columns are provided for each kind of permit and license for the following information:
A State records the total number of male and female, drivers over 75 years old but does not break down the ages by year-only that the driver is over 75 years old.
To complete FHWA Form 562, the State therefore estimates the number of driver licenses for the age groups 75-79 years, 80-84 years, and 85 years and over. The State computes the breakdown into groups in the following way.
Beginning with the male population, it obtains estimates of the resident population by year. It does not have its own population data, so it uses Census Bureau population estimates. Census data is published by single year of age up to age 100. (It does not disaggregate over 100 years of age.)
The State takes the most recent data on the number of men for every year age 75 and up from the Census Bureau table Annual Estimates of the Resident Population by Single Year of Age and Sex for the United States. Then it aggregates the data to get the age groups required for FHWA Form 562. The following example shows calculations for the first age group.
| Age | Population |
|---|---|
| 75 years | 998,390 |
| 76 years | 1,003,690 |
| 77 years | 854,930 |
| 78 years | 760,170 |
| 79 years | 701,319 |
| Total 75-79 years | 4,318,499 |
The State does the same for the other age groups required on FHWA Form 562 and gets the following table:
| Age Group | Population |
|---|---|
| 75-79 years | 4,318,499 |
| 80-84 years | 2,679,724 |
| 85 and over | 2,376,488 |
Then the State computes the percentage distribution for each age group:
75-79 years: 4,318,499 ÷ 9,374,711 = 0.46
80-84 years: 2,679,724 ÷ 9,374,711 = 0.29
85 and over: 2,376,488 ÷ 9,374,711 = 0.25
These calculations give the numbers in the following table.
| Age Group | Population | Share of Total Population |
|---|---|---|
| 75-79 years | 4,318,499 | 0.46 |
| 80-84 years | 2,679,724 | 0.29 |
| 85 and over | 2,376,488 | 0.25 |
| Total of over-75 | 9,374,711 | 1.00 |
The State applies these factors to the number of male drivers over 75 years of age licensed in the State-233,359 licensed male drivers over 75:
75-79 years: 233,359 × 0.46 = 107,345
80-84 years: 233,359 × 0.29 = 67,674
85 and over: 233,359 × 0.25 = 58,340
These calculations give the numbers in the next table.
| Age Group | Number of Drivers |
|---|---|
| 75-79 years | 107,345 |
| 80-84 years | 67,674 |
| 85 and over | 58,340 |
These are the numbers that the State enters in items 21, 22, and 23, for men.
The State does the same to estimate the numbers of women drivers over age 75 by age group.
This item is for all learner permits issued for commercial and non-commercial purposes and the fee per issue. Do not break down the number of learners permits by class.
This item is for the number of driver licenses issued and the fee per driver license collected in the reporting period. It includes new and renewal driver licenses issued for commercial and non-commercial purposes during the year.
A State classifies new CDLs into A, B, C, D, M, and V classes. The next table shows the number of licenses issued and the fee per issue for each class for the year.
| Class | No. Issued | Fee Per Issue | Total Collectionsa |
|---|---|---|---|
| Class A | 51,356 | $64.25 | $3,299,623 |
| Class B | 15,251 | $54.25 | $827,367 |
| Class C | 1,176 | $34.25 | $40,278 |
| Class D | 945,931 | $34.25 | $32,398,136 |
| Class M | 110 | $34.25 | $3,767 |
| Class V | 7,829 | $6.25 | $48,931 |
a Rounded to the nearest whole dollar.
FHWA requires the aggregation of data for all classes besides A, B, and C, so the State sums the number of licenses issued for its D, M, and V classes:
945,931 + 110 + 7,829 = 955,046
Then it sums the fees collected for D, M, and V class licenses:
$32,398,136.75 + $3,767.50 + $48,931.25 = $32,450,835.50
Then it divides the total amount of fees collected by the number of licenses issued for all other classes:
$32,450,835.50 ÷ 955,046 = $34.02.
The next table shows the data to report on FHWA Form 562 for this example.
| Class | No. Issued | Fee per Issue | Total Collectionsa |
|---|---|---|---|
| Class A | 51,356 | $64.25 | $3,299,623 |
| Class B | 15,251 | $54.25 | $827,367 |
| Class C | 1,176 | $34.25 | $40,278 |
| All other | 955,046 | $34.02 | $32,450,836 |
a Rounded to the nearest whole dollar. Fuels and FASH computes Total Collections automatically.
A State classifies new non-CDLs into D, E, F, and M classes. The next table shows the number of licenses it issued and the fee per issue for each class.
| Class | No. Issued | Fee Per Issue | Total Collections |
|---|---|---|---|
| Class D | 140,231 | $32.00 | $4,487,392 |
| Class E | 960 | $12.00 | $11,520 |
| Class F | 1,200 | $12.00 | $14,400 |
| Class M | 11,126 | $15.00 | $166,890 |
The State then aggregates the data for all classes by summing the licenses issued for D, E, F, and M classes:
140,231 + 960 + 1,200 + 11,126 = 153,517
Then it calculates the average fee per issue for all classes, dividing total collections by total number of licenses issued:
$4,680,202.50 ÷ 153,517 = $30.49
This gives the average fee per issue for all non-CDLs
| Class | No. Issued | Fee Per Issue | Total Collections |
|---|---|---|---|
| All classes | 153,517 | $30.49 | $4,680,203 |
States are not required to submit driver license data by license class but may do so if their State tracks this information. Similarly, if a State wants to submit driver license data by vehicle class, it may do so. States can submit CDL data for classes A, B, C, and all others. For non-CDLs, States can combine driver license data for all classes. If your State’s definition of a class includes both commercial and non-commercial licenses, add a note specifying the number of commercial licenses included.
Enter the number of driver licenses and the fee per issue for the following categories:
A driver license is classified as new when it is issued for the first time in your State. A driver license renewal is a license from your State that is reissued because the license was expiring or had expired. Fees collected from licenses issued as replacement because of loss or damage are reported under Item E, Miscellaneous. States do not have to enter the number of replacement licenses issued on FHWA Form 562.
Enter the number of licenses issued, the fee per issue, and the total monetary value of all learner permits issued. Enter the fee per issue in the appropriate column next to the number of the license issued for each category and subcategory.
If the State has data for the number of licenses issued and the fee per issue for each class of driver license, the data may have to be aggregated for FHWA Form 562. Combine the number of licenses issued and the fee per issue for the following items:
This item is for licenses and learners permits issued for commercial and non-commercial purposes and the amount of money collected from issuing these licenses. Totals are calculated automatically from data entered in item A (Learner Permits) and item B (Driver License by Class).
This item is for all non-driver identification cards issued during the year and the fee per issue. These figures are not broken out by sex or age.
This item is optional. The item includes miscellaneous CDL fees and non-CDL fees, such as examination fees, service charges, and skill test fees. Do not include fees reported elsewhere.
Reporting this data is not a requirement, but States can provide the data if it is readily available. Enter the number of non-driver identification cards issued during the reporting period and the fee per issue in the appropriate columns. If there are multiple different fees, calculate an average by dividing total collections by the number of non-driver cards issued. Enter this number in the Fee Per Issue column.
= FHWA Form 566, Item 1.B (Column B), Receipts
This item includes all licenses, non-driver identification cards, and miscellaneous licenses issued. Total licenses and total collections are calculated automatically when data is entered for items C, D, and E.
The total collections reported on FHWA Form 562, item F (Total), which is the sum of collections for learner permits, CDL and non-CDL, non-driver ID cards, and miscellaneous fees for CDL and non-CDL licenses, should be equal to the receipts entered in FHWA Form 566, item 1.B, Column B (Reconciliation of Receipts).
Fuels and FASH conducts certain validation tests when a State submits a form. Then it generates a report showing the total percentage change over the past 3-year period and a line graph for the 3-year period. The report highlights data that shows questionable trends from one year to the next. Fuels and FASH prompts the State to view the graphs and reports and to return to the form for editing if data variances are outside of normal trends.
Using the 3-year data reports generated by Fuels and FASH, compare data with the previous year’s data, and if there is a significant increase, decrease, or other anomaly, investigate to identify the reason. If you find a legitimate reason for a large difference from the previous year’s data, add a note providing the justification. Otherwise, return to the data sources to rectify the data.
After a State submits a form, an FHWA analyst reviews it, examining the data quality report and reading all justifications and submission comments. The analyst may ask for more information. After this review, the analyst may accept or reject a form. The following reasons could lead to a form being rejected:
After the form is accepted, the FHWA analyst performs an in-depth review of all State forms for quality control. It The FHWA staff may request additional information or corrections if the results of their review show erroneous data. States can go back to edit the form and add a note to the problematic item to explain the figures.
The FHWA analyzes State-reported data for consistency and for adherence to reporting guidelines. Analysts may adjust or model license driver data by age cohort for older drivers to when States do not provide data for these specific age groups to FHWA.
For FHWA reporting purposes, a new driver learning how to drive is not considered a licensed driver, but a driver in a graduated licensing program during which unsupervised driving is permitted under certain conditions is considered a licensed driver and should be reported along with drivers with full driving privileges.
Reporting all offered terms and tiered fees is not necessary. Instead, calculate an average fee per issue. Please see instructions in this guidebook on how to do so.
| << Prev | Contents | Next >> |
