Lawmakers are pushing forward legislation that would force the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) to repeal Entry-Level Driver Training requirements.
The “Trucking Workforce Improvement Act” was reintroduced by Virginia Rep. Bob Good on July 19, 2023.
If passed, the bill would roll back the FMCSA’s Entry-Level Driver Training (ELDT) rule that went into effect on February 7, 2022.
Good calls the ELDT rule “unnecessary” and “burdensome” for truckers.
“The ongoing trucker shortage impedes our local farmers and manufacturers from doing business with their communities, driving prices up for consumers across the country. With rising inflation and a job shortage thanks to Bidenflation, the last thing Americans need is more regulatory overreach from bureaucrats in Washington,” said Rep. Good. “My bill will remove obstacles to entry for aspiring truck drivers, enable more opportunities for well-paid jobs, and unleash the American economy.”
The bill has been referred to the subcommittee on Highways and Transit and currently has 14 cosponsors.
A similar bill introduced in the Senate in September 2022 sought to provide regulatory relief from ELDT requirements for trucking companies with nine or fewer CDL drivers on staff.
What Are ELDT Requirements?
The ELDT rule establishes minimum requirements for entry-level driver training standards for training providers and CDL applicants.
The rule applies to the applicants who want to:
- Obtain a Class A or Class B CDL for the first time;
- Upgrade an existing Class B CDL to a Class A CDL; or
- Obtain a school bus (S), passenger (P), or hazardous materials (H) endorsement for the first time.
These applicants are required to obtain training from a provider listed on the FMCSA’s Training Provider Registry. This training must be completed before taking a CDL skills test or, if the driver is applying for the H endorsement, the knowledge test.