All of the following are exempt from needing a CDL EXCEPT _________.

The following vehicle operators are not required to obtain a CDL:
- Farm Equipment Operators: This exemption covers legitimate farm-to-market operations by farmers, not commercial grain haulers. CDLs are not required to operate vehicles:
+ Controlled and operated by a farmer, a member of the farmer's family or an employee;
+ Used to transport farm products, equipment or supplies to or from a farm (including nurseries and aquacultures);
+ Used within 150 air miles of the farm; and
+ Not used in the operations of a common or contract carrier; and
+ Used in nursery or agricultural operations.
For the drivers of truck-tractor semitrailers, the farmer, his or her spouse and their children, parents on both sides, brothers and sisters on both sides and their spouses, and employees of a farm operating a truck-tractor semitrailer and meeting the above criteria also are exempted from the CDL Program. These drivers must be at least age 21, and the vehicle must have a Farm registration. These drivers are still required to take the appropriate CDL written, skills and road tests to be licensed.
- Emergency Equipment Operators: Because most emergency organizations have extensive initial training and retraining requirements for their equipment operators, Illinois waives CDL requirements for operators of emergency equipment owned or operated by or for a government agency, when responding to or returning from an emergency.
- Military Vehicle Operators: Operators of military vehicles for military purposes are exempt from obtaining a CDL.
- Recreational Vehicle Operators: Recreational vehicle operators, when using the vehicle primarily for personal use, do not need a CDL.