A new rule from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) is about to make it a whole lot easier for so-called ‘CDL mills’ to churn out drivers – and for unscrupulous schools to hand out CDLs to anyone who can pay regardless of their driving ability.
According to a notice published in the Federal Register, the FMCSA is planning on allowing CDL schools to administer skills tests to students that they trained. This means that driver training, written exams, and skills tests can all be conducted by the same company.
Currently, CDL schools aren’t allowed to conduct skills tests for students that they trained. This helps to prevent “pay-to-play” training and outright fraud.
The FMCSA says that repealing that rule would “alleviate CDL skill testing delays and reduce inconvenience and cost for third party testers and CDL applicants, without negatively impacting safety.”
The American Trucking Association (ATA), an industry group which counts megacarriers like Swift and C.R. England among its members, is all for the change.
“ATA is encouraged that FMCSA is looking for opportunities to make it easier for individuals to obtain their commercial driver’s license,” said ATA spokesman Sean McNally according to TransportTopics. “We believe that the process should be as frictionless and easy to navigate as possible so as to encourage more people to get their CDL.”
The proposed “deregulatory action” currently says that “States would have the option to permit this practice.” This implies that only states which take steps to allow this change would be impacted. But it’s not clear that any states have laws which would prevent this from automatically taking place since CDL regulations are generally handled at the federal level.
“We continue to examine opportunities to provide common-sense regulatory relief to states and to individuals seeking to obtain a CDL,” says FMCSA Administrator Ray Martinez. “This proposal will provide states more flexibility, while maintaining safety on our roadways.”
Source: overdrive, ttnews, DOT, EPA, whitehouse
What studies did the FMCSA conduct to determine that this would not impact safety? What supporting evidence can they offer?
Was it written on a fortune at the bottom of a bottle?
The same studies they did that said ELDS were going to be safer for the highways but now their studies came back the opposite they were wrong like us drivers told them but they WON’T listen to drivers just like a dispatcher. 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
AMEN…You are totally 100 percent…Correct!…Sincerely,An Unemployed TruckDriver.
Safety? These greedy Mormon gods aren’t concerned about safety, they want to rule the world.
The same studies used in the sleep apnea scam.
I believe it was written on a fortune at the bottom of a check, actually.
I believe that You are very very Right….I agree.
No on the cap of a snapple bottle lol!
More beaurocratic mumbo jumbo to make drivers even less valuable. While at the same time endangering all of our lives.
TRUE…
We are all in great danger
I agree Alan… I’ve had $10,000 of front end damage to my truck caused by a two weeks out of training CRE driver. The kicker was, I was parked in a truck stop. The driver “forgot” “there was a truck on his left”
THATS ONLY ONE REASON TO Not want to be a TruckDriver Trainer…And the Companies Insurance should Cover the Damage…Seems only right.
(◔_◔)
Trucker on the endangered species list
Look up Driver Solutions. They own C1 truck driving school and the ‘third party’ testing company. Heck they are in the same building in Indianapolis. They have been doing this for years!
Anything but better pay, benefits and working conditions.
Yep and nothing is driver want is going to happen till we PARK THE TRUCKS.
Mmmm make it easier to obtain a cdl something doesn’t sound right about this. If anything it should be a little harder than it currently is to obtain a cdl. We already have enough steering wheel holders out here now and over half of them don’t have a clue what there doing most can’t even back into a parking spot without hitting the truck parked next to them. Last year alone I backed up 4 so called truck drivers t/t into parking spots and 3 of these steering wheel holders told me they were never taught to back correctly but were told by there trainers oh you will learn this as you go. Now it’s true you should learn something new every day but more than just basic skills are required when handling t/t weighing up to 80 thousand pounds because there’s human lives at risk so making it easier to obtain a cdl just to satisfy a few mega carriers isn’t only wrong it’s down right ridiculously stupid.
It should be criminal. We know the crash and death rate is going to go up because of this.
Has no one realized that an increase in death on the highway is all part of the ATA’s grand plan to eliminate the cost of drivers pay and benefits with autonsmous trucks?
I’ve been in this game since before there were CDLs. before paperwork became more important than ability. in those days you were an apprentice…maybe a straight truck or yard jockey and then earned your way to a big truck. The failures of the federal CDL program and the schools that hand them out are evident everytime you get on a highway or open a newspaper.
I’m out of it for good shortly but not soon enough
No one from the FMCSA ever held a CDL or been in a truck..I wouldnt pull teeth if wasnt a dentist.How can this happen?One big reason is because of so many greedy,spineless drivers not sticking together.How can these mega carriers get away with some drivers not understanding,reading,speaking english.We have become a third world country.
AMEN Jeff from another Jeff just what I said above we need to PARK the TRUCKS your exactly right spineless snowflake drivers that won’t stick together or stand there ground for something they KNOW is RIGHT
Right on ,Jeff.I drive on 95kw,great shape.No elogs.It will never happen but we do need to stick together.Let one of Fmcsa officials come ride in my truck for week in the real trucking world.Idiot 4wheelers.No parking.shippers,receivers etc…
😜 Jeff you got that right, you can’t get 2 trk drivers to agree that they woke up this morning one of them will disagree lol 😂😂
Once we understand that corporations (which equals 💰) pretty much push their agendas through the pawns in the FMCSA and Government….it has Never been “WE THE PEOPLE”… I’ve been out here trucking over 20 years and the corporate takeover has been insane…..It’s Never about safety (including e-logs)…it’s a money game.
I AGREE,AND IT SHOULDNT BE THAT WAY…SAFETY COMES FIRST…THANK GOD FOR ANGELS WATHCHING OVER US!
I hope we understand that corporations (which equals 💰) pretty much push their agendas through the pawns in the FMCSA and Government….it has Never been “WE THE PEOPLE”… I’ve been out here trucking over 20 years and the corporate takeover has been insane…..It’s Never about safety (including e-logs)…it’s a money game.
Because drivers won’t stand together and shut it down they will keep on doing it because they know they can get away with it drivers won’t do nothing that’s why they’re doing it And will continue doing it
Obvious conflict of interest that was never allowed before, now all of the sudden is okay?
The corruption between the ATA and the FMCSA is now self evident.
The FMCSA can unilaterally make any decision without check and balances while our elected officials look the other way?
Ray Martinez.. your only job is to administer the safety of the general public. But instead your focus seems
to be on how to give “flexibility” to the ATA. You will have blood on your
hands. I’ve been reading ttr new every friday for 10+ years.
This is the first time i felt the need to post a comment. We’re all in great danger.
It’s an effort to get more foreign drivers that will work cheap in the driver’s seats.
Exactly !! Keep flooding the market with cheap dangerous unskilled and foreign drivers!!!
This is all very easy to understand…. the lawyers that are advising these morons to deregulate will ultimately lead to one thing….. more accidents and incidents! Thus, lawyers will be needed to represent the parties involved and therefore the lawyers will make money!!!
AND THE TruckDriver goes Broke…
The Government screwed up SSI, the Government screwed up Medicare and Medicaid, they have screwed up the ELD. So the CDL is next these Stupid Morons in Government couldn’t pour water out of a Boot if the Directions were one he bottom of it.Then they will turn Right around and Blame it on the Drivers.
I can not read English!!!
I can not speak English!!!
Here is you CDL!
Totally agreed !!!! Yes
OMG!!! This is complete Boo Boo Cac
Sorry, so upset I hit the wrong button. I totally disagree with this. Has everyone forgotten how people who went to Swifts driving school had to go back and retest to keep their CDL? The tr
Poor quality drivers does not equal safety on our highways.All final tests written or on computer that directly lead to a commercial license and applicable endorsements must be done at a States Department of Motor Vehicles. It’s plain common sense.
Very easy – and I agree with Russell. There is always a choke point that everyone must go through.
Who hands out the CDL’s?
This is on the State.
It’s time for the lobbyist to be considered culpable party to any tragic event caused by this tremendously bad decision of policy.
Totally agreed !!!!
The ATA continues to support stupidity as usual. They’re just as greedy as the mega carriers they support. We’re doomed for more accidents as if we aren’t already.
SAYS IT ALL….
“ATA is encouraged that FMCSA is looking for opportunities to make it easier for individuals to obtain their commercial driver’s license”
CAUSE IT BE TO BE EASIER…SMH!!!! Corruption!!!!
Why don’t they hire the people who can go into an RV dealership and buy the biggest travel trailer they have. Slap down the cash and with no training or special license drive onto the highway. Bet, that would be safe! Not!
I am sure that we need to change the criteria for becoming employed at the FMCSA to include at least 10 years of OTR trucking experience and drug testing because the idiots running this sh!t show would not even have any idea on how to put fuel in one let alone make safety and reasonable rules for them
A good day is when a swift cr England prime or Stephens transport driver speaks English had a western express driver that couldn’t figure out how to put def in his truck all the mills care about is money
Land of the greedy, home of the bribed.
Here we go again with the ATA and the FMCSA taking lives into their own hands. The inexperienced drivers and the unsafe practices that they are allowing on the interstates is ridiculous! They both claim that there is a trucker shortage. There is no trucker shortage there is a rate shortage as there has been for a long time. There are not enough places to park now even if you pay for a spot! The rest areas and parking areas across the country are closed for what reasons. The states are not maintaining the roads or rest areas. This causes drivers to park where ever. I will not park on the sides of the roads or on get off or get on ramps. You are just asking for trouble there with the distracted drivers today cars included and a better part of them are the problems. Back to the other problem. The ATA and the FMCSA and the rest of those people that want inexperienced drivers on the roAds and autonomous trucks and 18 year olds to drive an 80000 pound tractor trailer with no experience is just in it for the money and do not hold the public’s safety or anyone’s well being in mind. It’s all about the Benjamin’s! That’s sad. What needs to happen is everyone go on vacation at the same time and put a stop to unsafe practices by the ATA and The FMCSA. I don’t ever remember giving the ATA the right to be my voice. It’s always been and continue to be a money thing never a safety thing. As long as all the big companies and the ATA speak for the drivers. Hell the drivers can speak for them selves if they had someone who would listen and not fall on deaf ears.
I have a better idea, why not put some cdl license in the cereal boxes
Lmao..give them time driver
I AGREE,AND IT SHOULDNT BE THAT WAY…SAFETY COMES FIRST…THANK GOD FOR ANGELS WATHCHING OVER US!
Like Oprah…
“YOU GET A CDL! YOU GET A CDL! YOU ALL WILL GO HOME WITH CDL’s TODAY!!
*Wildly applauding crowd*
As long as these mega carriers keep lining the pocket Of these politicians the roads will keep getting more dangerous
When this blows up and Americans are killed , the collusion w megas and corrupt politicians that made it all happen will take no responsibility for it. Never be charged for their negligence and it will all be the drivers fault to take. It needs to be known that these DC mouthpieces pushed this through somehow. Sean McNally , ATA mouthpiece, FMCSA and others that made pushed this through need to hold the wheel on this. Think that will happen?
No not on a bottle fortune but a fortune cookie
School ? Just what does that mean? I got my piece of paper do I need a copy? But officer I’m confused now .I did my time already.
Correct the DMV. In California There were several DMV employees who went to prison for selling commercial licenses to wanna be truck drivers. I had the pleasure of catching one in the act . And finally getting him nailed. How’s prison life Robert?
The process should be friction less and easy to navigate? By what I can tell out here is that it’s already too damn easy to get a cdl. How can you get them and still have to ride with a trainer? To me that means they are not properly trained even in the driving department which is part of the cdl testing no way should you have a cdl if you can’t even back one up or pull out of a parking spot without ripping someone’s hood off!! When C.R. England ripped my hood off I learned that they average 150 accidents and fender benders per day in this country they are self insured so obviously they refused to pay “litigate it in court” is what England’s representative told me on phone. Where is regulation enforcement don’t just do it on the highways to hard working people committing no crimes
my melbourne, florida two week school when I was there back in 2006 gave me my road test in their truck at the school and florida issued me my licence
Canada does this , in my opinion , it’s a bad idea , in one case, 40 residents from Manitoba moved there licence to a driving school in Toronto, was issued a licence, went back to Manitoba exchange the licence , when Manitoba discovered this scam , wanted everyone to do a road test, what they got was a court challenge, this will surely let Driver’s on the road that should not be there
Well I was trained at one of these so-called CDL mills in Arkansas. The state police came and gave us the test for our permit at the school to avoid the long delay at the DMV which only administered about 10 test every other day on a first come first serve basis. Then they trained us and at the end, they had a couple instructors who were certified to give us the road and skills test. These instructors however did NOT train us in any capacity to ensure integrity. The only time we dealt with them was for testing. They never even hung around during our training to avoid making friends with any student. During my time there, I saw many students fail and fail repeatedly so it wasn’t just about the money with them. Now i do know of another school in Arkansas that was actually in the city I lived in that lacked that integrity and thus their ability to administer the testing was taken away from them. So I say all of that to say, having that ability to administer testing doesn’t mean everyone will take advantage of the system and churn out unqualified students.
Oh and for the record, that was 7 years ago and to date I still have 0 incidents or accidents as I close in on a million safe miles.
All these changes make a senators friend a billionary
I went to a “school” in 96. They taught me nothing. All we did for two weeks was to drive the DPS “test course”. We had that sh*t down perfectly. Luckily, my trainer taught me how to “drive” a truck. Old school trainer. This crap is going to kill people. After 23 years, I still don’t think I’m above learning new things every day. The new breed think they’re Truck Drivers because they have a CDL. This industry is in the sh*tter. May be time for a career switch.
Our government is in the mind set of big me and little you . Have you noticed that 99.9% of trucking issues (and any other) that the government has anything to do with , will be messed up completely and you (we) do all the paying? Now, our overseers, want to help the trucking industry once again ( if they help me much more , I’m not sure I can stand it). SAFTY-SAFTY-SAFTY is all you hear but , money in the proper pocket is what it’s all about!