FMCSA Again Delays Effective Date of Entry-Level Driver Training Rule
For the third time, the effective date for an entry-level driver training rule for truck drivers has been delayed, this time until June 5.
The Dec. 8 final rule was due to go into effect originally on Feb. 6 but was delayed to March 21 and again until May 22.
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration said it based the action on a Jan. 20 presidential directive calling for a "regulatory freeze pending review."
The memorandum directed the heads of executive departments to temporarily postpone for 60 days from the date of the memorandum the effective dates of certain regulations that had been published in the Federal Register but had not yet taken effect.
The three-year phase-in period for the entry-level driver training rule gives states time to take the necessary steps to modify their information systems to begin recording the training provider’s certification information into the Commercial Driver Licensing Information System and onto the driver’s CDL record. It also gives ample time for the commercial motor vehicle driver training industry to develop and begin offering training programs that meet the requirements for listing on the training provider registry, the agency said.
However, delaying its publication has taken time away from states to comply with the rule, said Don Lefeve, president of the Commercial Vehicle Training Association, a group that represents truck driving schools.
The effect of not implementing an effective date has slowed state legislatures from technically adopting the rule because it had not been completed, Lefeve told Transport Topics earlier this year.
