While the rest of the country is waiting for a federal law to address the issue of new driver training, California lawmakers have taken it upon themselves to tackle the problem for their own state.
A new bill has been introduced that would change the certification requirements for new commercial truck drivers. In addition to passing the standard written and practical portions of the CDL exam, new drivers would have to complete a state-approved training program in order to obtain their CDLs. There is no word yet on what exactly the state-approved training program would entail, but if the bill is passed, the CA DMV would have the task of setting the criteria.
The bill would also close a loophole that has been allowing less than reputable training companies to churn out CDL certified drivers who have little to no experience. These diploma mills take student’s money and give them the bare minimum education in order for them to earn their CDLs, some clearly indifferent as to whether or not the drivers have the skills needed to be safe on the road.
Schools such as these get away with it because of an exemption that allows CDL courses that cost less than $2,500 to ignore state regulations. This nonsensical regulation effectively allows unscrupulous training programs to churn out dangerous drivers simply because they offer their programs for a relatively low cost.
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Source: gobytrucknews, leginfo
Connor says
This is good. I thought something similar was supposed to be coming to Ontario as well.
astin says
Bad C R England, bad.
Stephen says
Either the requirements will mean next to nothing or this will push all state licensed truck drivers into the arms of ‘training’ companies.
If requirements are a minimum of driving hours and/or miles, the cost of school will become prohibitive, unless in conjunction with a training company.
Or, the requirements will be nominal and virtually worthless.
I do agree all candidates should go thru a minimum amount of classroom training. I’ve met drivers that ‘learned on the job’ that couldn’t identify a brake chamber, could explain the rudiments of an air brake system or tell me the minimum tread depth of tires or thickness of brakes.
We do need national standards and it looks like California may once again set the agenda that the rest will eventually adopt.
Logistic inc says
What to expect “this trainning” while 3 years driver fail to identify the break chamber, dunt know how to perform tractor/trailer air leak check, fail to stop on time for tire bad or either wheel seal bad until DOT pull over????? BUT then, OKlahoma fine and make the carrier responsible the rest and drivers they dunt event care what wrote in there huh? Sometime they dunt event care about logbook too jesus.
That what exactly going on out there i am sure, i am talking about 3 or more years “experianced” driver out there not new driver, instead of regulated new driver or school just make old driver responsible of their work then we go from there, bet 50% or better road alot safer.
Jon says
California will go “overboard” with their regulations as they do with everything else that they regulate.
Ultimately, they will require that if you drive into CA that you also have met these requirements, otherwise you are ticketed and turned around at the border.
Just look at C.A.R.B., not one of their state domiciled trucking companies have to comply with C.A.R.B., but everybody else does.
geo says
What good will this do? I attended a great CDL school. As soon as I signed on with a company, not a mega either, they started rotating me through trainers weekly, each worse than the last, each wanting to prove himself more “supertrucker” than his predessor. Was point blank told ” forget everything you learned in school, this is real world trucking now.” Pre-trips were light checks only. Not 1 single load check ever performed. Sub par securement. Was told “that’s what conestogas are for”. 2 different trainers got so close to cars I couldn’t see the rear bumper, 1 laying on air horn & the other flashing lights because cars were going too slow. I was labeled “too timid” when I refused instructions to do the same. I could go on for hours. My experience is it’s pointless to know the workings of an airbrake system when companies put road raging cowboys out there as trainers with the say so if you get hired on or not. What do you think most trainees are going to do ?
Stephenie James says
The real training starts behind the wheel. Hands on! These trucking schools are making easy money off students pursuing their CDL. Which isn’t guaranteed. ALL STATES need to require the same CDL testing. It is the law to have only one license. Our data is in a computer regulated by DOT and FMSCA.
Phil Haultain says
Having been a professional driver for 40 years, with well over 2,000,000 commercial miles behind me, I have to say that am astounded and dismayed at the so-called “professional” drivers I see every day here in California. They routinely get on the freeway and immediately get in the truck passing lane (the #3 out of 4 lanes) and will stay there no matter what, even if they cannot achieve the speed limit, forcing other trucks to pass them on the right, and causing untold traffic problems behind them for miles. What part of “SLOWER TRAFFIC KEEP RIGHT” do you not understand? This is basic class “C” knowledge, yet you guys don’t get it. I could go on about all the shortcomings of the recent crops of CDL drivers I’ve seen, but I would like to know who is training these people, and if they’ve instructed them to engage in this and other non-professional behavior. In any case, these “trainers” should be ashamed of themselves, for letting their students down, and all the rest of us as well.