Bus driver asks FMCSA for exemption to allow him to operate as a CDL-A instructor

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) is asking for public comment on a veteran bus driver’s request for exemption from entry-level driver training (ELDT) regulations.

In a Notice to be published in the Federal Register on December 9, FMCSA announced that
Albert Farley Jr. asked for relief from the theory and behind-the-wheel (BTW) instructor requirements contained in ELDT regulations, which would require two years of interstate driving.

Farley Jr. is specifically seeking relief from the rule that instructors must have at least two years of driving experience of the same or higher class and/or the same endorsement level as the commercial motor vehicle (CMV) to be operated to satisfy the instructor requirements under the ELDT regulations.

According to the Notice, Farley Jr. is a CDL-A holder who worked as a bus driver for 32 years. In the past two years, he became a Class 1 CDL – Bus Driver Education Instructor in order to address a shortage of bus drivers.

Farley Jr. said he is now requesting the exemption because fulfilling the two-year road requirement in the ELDT rules would pose a financial strain and create a void in his current workplace.

He pointed to a need for more CDL-A holders, particularly in the agricultural and logging industries, and to a lack of CDL-A instructors.

The FMCSA will accept public comment on the exemption request for 30 days following the December 9 publication in the Federal Register. You can view the exemption request in the Federal Register by following this link after it is published.