Editorial: Entry-Level Driver Training

Are you a motor carrier? Do you plan on ever hiring a new trucker to drive for you? If you answered “yes” to those questions, chances are you already are aware that the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is attempting once again to craft a rule on minimum training standards for entry-level commercial vehicle drivers.

The federal government has been trying to develop these standards for 30 years, with little success. This time, however, FMCSA has set up a committee of industry representatives to help write the rule, a process called a “negotiated” rulemaking.

The 26­-member committee held its first meeting late last month. Though the meeting was mostly introductory, it is clear the panel will have to tackle serious issues in the coming months.

Certification, implementation and enforcement are just a few examples where a consensus will have to develop for this effort to result in a successful outcome.

Additionally, the proposal will have to be justified with data and research supporting clear safety benefits. Along the way, the panel will have to address questions such as the proper definition of an entry-level driver and whether a training course should be based on a minimum of hours or performance.

During the initial two-day meeting, motor carriers and other industry representatives were asked to lean on their connections to help ensure that a proposed rule will stand up to a review by the Office of Management and Budget.

It is with that in mind that we at Transport Topics also are excited to announce that truck driver training will be the focus of our next “LiveOnWeb” program.

Among the guests expected to join us is Boyd Stephenson of American Trucking Associations, one of the members of FMCSA’s panel. Also scheduled to be with us is Don Lefeve, president of the Commercial Vehicle Training Association, a group that also has a representative on the committee.

The event is planned for Wednesday, March 18, at noon EDT. It comes one day before FMCSA’s driver-training committee holds its second two-day meeting.

We hope you tune in and take advantage of this unique opportunity to interact with several of the key people directly involved in crafting a rule three decades in the making.

Visit liveonweb.ttnews.com for further details.