The new driver training rule is finally here! The industry has been waiting for the rule for years, with many hoping that it would raise the standard of training that new drivers must receive before heading out on their own. While many including the ATA are applauding the rule, some in the industry are concerned that there is no minimum number of hours that trainees must log behind the wheel.
In order to obtain their Class A or B CDL under the new system, drivers won’t have to spend at least a minimum number of hours behind the wheel as was proposed in previous iterations of the driver training rule. Instead, the FMCSA opted for a proficiency-based system which would require driver trainees to pass with at least 80% accuracy the written test, and demonstrate their ability to perform multiple different skills behind the wheel.
According to the FMCSA, trainees will be better served by this process than by setting a minimum number of hours that must be spent behind the wheel (30 hours was the number in the notice of proposed rulemaking). This is in part because some drivers will learn and acquire skills at a different pace than their peers.
“ATA has consistently advocated that skills, not simply time spent in a classroom or behind the wheel, should be the deciding factor if a student should be allowed to take a commercial driver’s license test,” said Bill Sullivan, ATA Executive Vice President of Advocacy. “Today’s rule is a victory for common sense and for safety.”
But not everyone sees the lack of an hours requirement as a win. Some, including OOIDA, worry that without a minimum number of hours behind the wheel required, some CDL schools will continue to churn out underprepared and unsafe drivers. It would still be possible for unscrupulous trainers to mark a driver’s skills as ‘passed,’ and just hope that they make it through their exam.
“While it’s a great first step, we are disappointed the rule doesn’t address behind the wheel training as instructed by Congress. We will continue to work with the agency to see the follow-up and evaluation of training provided as promised in the rule and push to require BTW education,” said an OOIDA spokesperson in an interview with Fleet Owner.
Also among those voicing their support of the final rule is the Commercial Vehicle Training Association, a trade group representing hundreds of CDL training schools across the country.
Source: FMCSA, gobytrucknews, truckinginfo, fleetowner, overdrive, FMCSA
Mark Fantroy says
They need to certify the training centers on a state by state basis and then start suspending them when they have a high fail rate. Missouri has done this for years with EMS. If a school has to many fail on the first attempt of the skills testing they evaluate the school. if it keeps happening the school itself can loose its training center status.
Max says
How fast can we whip these poor souls thru the process, collect our government training money and shove their sorry butts out the door?!
Don’t worry if they’re trained! We got our money!
Oh yea!
Mack says
If they were serious about it they would institute a system like it is in some European countries. You get your license, but you are still not qualified to do anything other than drive a dry van on flat road. Then if you want to do other jobs, you have to qualify through the Ministry to drive Hazmat, Liquids, Oversize, etc. and it is not just a written open book test either. You actually have to learn to drive with a sense of responsibility. Hazmat here in Canada is a joke. You sit for a couple of hours at your dispatch and write an open book test. You get your laminated ( or not ) piece of paper that says you are qualified to transport flammable, poisonous and explosive stuff through “hell and high water”, and back. Any noob is able to transport this stuff.
Mack says
Also I failed to mention in my other comment: In Europe you have to pass psychological tests before you can even think about becoming a truck driver.
Austin Ford says
It it just beyond me the brainless idiots that are in charge of making these rules. I have no problem with the competency aspect, but there should be a number of hours that should be met also. If a student driver grasps the material at a faster rate, maybe they could help their classmates with troublesome areas of training. I have been a CDL Class A driver for 30 years, no tickets and no at-fault accidents. It scares the daylights out of me seeing what some of these new drivers are doing and what they don’t know, like mountain driving, snow and ice driving, backing and docking. I try to help when I can but these 2,3, 4 week programs are not cutting it.
Gerhard Ziebolz says
In Europe if you are younger one, below 30 driver, you need a job to learn driving. They changed in the EU the laws. Every new starter needs at first a contract with a trucking industry.over three years you get trained and qualified for driving class a trucks.Example: you start after high school, apply somewhere, get hired, start to work. There you don’ t learn only driving. Every part of the logistics business too….
Floyd says
All these people do is talk about truck safety, so tell me how safe is this? Until some “officials” family member get killed by an unskilled driver, then they might realize how stupid that rule is
Neil pawelczak says
I completly agree. Ive been driving for 13 years and i still learn new things all the time. To push out “drivers” with little to no time behind the wheel in the real word is reckless and dangerous. Its fine to have the skills but until you learn to use them in the real world they are worthless. They will require BTW training once someone “important” gets killed by one of these new “drivers that have skills”.
Blackice says
True here. However not a problem it will still be the fault of one the company who would get off lightly with fines only and two the driver who’s unprepared eager ass who will be fined jailed and possibly death rowed if needed
Bulldog says
When are these people going to learn that it’s not just in the CDL schools that need to be fixed?!? It’s all these companies that send a new driver out with a “trainer” that only has two weeks of driving experience themselves!!!!!! My OTR training was with a dry van and I was with my trainer, who had 15 years OTR experience, for four solid weeks and that was with Western Express. It’s not in the hours of classroom training, it’s in the quality of the people who are “training” these new drivers!! March 20, 2017, will mark 7 years of OTR dry van, flatbed and stepdeck for me. I know some of the older drivers call me a rookie, but at least I’m not riding in the middle lanes at 65 mph holding everything up; and not freaking out in heavy traffic when someone passes me
Calvin Hicks says
With this new age (of Everything), not only are these assembly line trainees, endangering the roads with their lack of skills/exp. These companies are accomplices in this nonsense. All the Bull about automatic transmissions, easing the wear & tear on driver’s fatigue/truck life etc. No. These students aren’t able to master a manual transmission & it would certainly take much more training hours to, have them capable of shifting simply 5 gears up/down.
So. Wat they learn in these schools, get them pass the ridiculous Motor Vehicle driving tests, the majority of them, end up at these Super companies who, stick them in these supposedly easy operating automatic transmission trucks. Where, the false comfort feeling, have them on cell phoned, etc etc.
Bob says
They will have a electronic log book so everyone will be safe
old man says
Two weeks ago I couldn’t spell trucker, now I are one.
A C Deck says
ROFLMFAO!!!!!!!!!
Mrs. Stewart says
Too dang funny, but do true!
Anthony says
There’s only one way to learn this industry, and that’s to get out there and do it…After they’ve learned the basics they have to get out there and do it…After the 2nd year when they think they have all the bugs worked out is when mistakes happen…I did it for 20 years, and if I could pass something on to them it would be…PATIENCE, SAFETY, DON’T LOSE YOUR TEMPER…When they’re hauling 40 tons of rolling steel remember when you make a mistake…people die!!!
Jonathan says
4 months ago I was in a container now I drive container and train.
Michael Nelson says
I-40 will become an even more dangerous place.
John says
I had a class 1 28 years ago and did heavy haul of heavy equipment. I let my license go as I entered the auto industry. I had to go to school last year in order to get my CDL A.
After going through the course I graduated 1st in that Class and my fellow students told me I drive better then all the teachers there.
One of the written tests we were given was a 100 question test which I scored a 100 on. I am a former motor vehicle inspector and diagnostic tech for a highline dealership.
Now that being said I was appalled and taken back at how the school I attended was all about the money and pushing students out and passing them illegally.
Most had below average driving skills and comprehension.
I was with a group that had several individuals that had no business driving and operating a vehicle of that size. I actually was asked by one of the trainers to go in and talk to the owner about a particular student who put us in several very dangerous situations. I did and I got a I will look into it. The manger/trainer of the school took this person out with us and evaluated what the other trainer was talking about and declared that person just needed extra attention.
Well it just got worse as this person on pre-determined back up maneuvers ran over a sizeable pine tree. It got better as time progressed that we were left stuck in dangerous intersections stalled out due to wrong gear selection. There were several near misses on the road that were saved by the trainer grabbing the wheel. This individuals car that this person drove to school had misc. damage all over it especially the front.
It was clear that this person had difficulty driving even a car.
This person paid 10k to a school called roadmasters and they rightly failed that individual. Then this person signed on with Swift transportation and was sent to the school I was at. Long story short a week after I graduated and received my CDL I heard they had passed this individual. I was totally shocked then again realized once again ITS ALL ABOUT THE MONEY AND PUSHING THESE NON QUALIFIED STUDENTS THROUGH.
Now that I have been driving for more then a year I see many of these newbies out there causing all kinds of accidents. If these major companies keep doing what their doing to get drivers to be in the seat they are doing a great disservice and are further effecting the reputation of the Trucking industry let alone placing the lives of us all in danger because of greed and corruption.
Chris says
I totally agree with your post. Proper professional career level Training is not the concern of the trucking companies, or our government, in this industry or they would be pushing for higher more rigourious training and standards. These laws and rules that are created and changed, are done so by these same companies that are not concerned about higher, tougher standards or laws that would create a more professional driver workforce. It is absolutely without a doubt self serving. Lowered standards producing drivers who struggle to meet even minimum levels of compentency. These types of rule change still are guiding, and even creating a more direct path for justification of things like the driverless truck appearing on our highways now in on the horizon in the near future. Look at how hard the industry is pushing for that change in our profession! 10x as hard for a technological solution that eliminates the driver in the end anyways. It’s a no-brainer. Nothing will make sense to any of us until drivers unite and start representing themselves as a Professional Driver group.. i.e. Pilots, Nurses, Teachers, Plumbers, Steelworker, etc… and not let companies or government speak for our profession. Until that happens the industry will always make choices for ‘US’ that will never make sense to you or me.
Alix b says
You know you they are doing this right driver. There doing it so they can prove the point that us drivers as a whole is unsafe out on the roads due to thsee unqualified new driver’s and that’s when the “need” for self driving “safe” trucks are going to become mainstreame.
Robert Scott says
The ATA wins again for the mega carriers.
Jeff Pearson says
Soooo what we will get is another BS meaningless regulation that does absolutly nothing…so the dispatcher needs a load moved.. and johnny big rigger with 3 hours behind any truck steering wheel will now be qualified to take the load all by him or herself..God save the public from these idiots..but then again.. the personal injury attorneys are loving it..but but they know how to fill out a log book..
Sonny. B says
My trainer did indeed sign of on stuff he should have been supervising. It’s not just about driving skills. Therealy is a lot of things a new driver needs to know, like rules of the road
russell says
well that is just plain stupid just about anyone can score high on a written test with a little study. but when it comes to being behind the wheel now that’s totally different. now watch the number of accidents climb faster now then ever before.
Steve palmieri says
I hate to say this but I see poor driving from supposed veterans as well as newbies. In fact when I see how some of them drive I put as much distance between me and them as I can.
Jess says
Why is everyone so negative? Just because I didn’t get any actual road training for my truckers license doesn’t mean I can’t hold a steering wheel! I manage to keep it between the lines most of the time, and when I don’t, I figure the cars will move out of my way, and all! When you can’t make it, fake it, right?? Nawww…Im just kidding you all! Hope everyone has an excellent Christmas, even if you can’t make it home. You know most all the truck stops put on a good feast!
Tim says
If you think the truckstops put on a good feast, then your mama was a bas cook
will says
Yea, as a graduate from cr England’s school it a miracle there are not more accidents. I had experience before iwent, driving coal trucks 20 years ago, but these kids can barley drive a car and then throw them into a truck bad for everyone….
John says
They need to do something about certifying that the “Trainers” are qualified to train student drivers. Some trucking companies/driver mills are known for pushing their drivers to become trainers based solely on as little as 90days accident free experience in the driver’s entire career. This trainer, may have personally never seen a snowflake by this point except on TV, due to where he lives, but now is expected to teach a student how to go down Donner Pass, or any of the numerous Western mountain passes in a snow storm. Seriously, this is considered acceptable? Not in my book. Not ever. Barely graduated students, should not be teaching other students. If there was any sanity to the national training standards, there would be a minimum of 5+yrs experience required to be a trainer.
travelingman says
In my 40 plus years of trucking I have seen many drivers that have some natural ability behind the wheel of an 18 wheeler and I have seen many that shouldnt be any where near one. Since the trucks of today are more automated than ever, drivers are put on the road alone at a faster pace than ever before. Automation does not negate the need for basic experience with a qualified instructor.
Jamie says
When I got my cdl I knew I wasn’t ready so I told my trainer and my training manager the school I went to, which I will not name, was great on training except for winter driving and months down the road no clear answer not even from safety management….on chaining up, so the most frequent answer is if you gotta chain up you have no business driving..I’m thankful my trainer had 20 yrs exp and taught me well except for….winter driving that’s what I get for training in the summer huh but imma get my horns on my own and talk to the veterans for advice
TruckerBob says
Great. Now we can watch even more videos on YouTube of unskilled truck drivers wrecking their rigs and endangering the public.
Bill Remington says
All, new drivers need a good number of hours behind the wheel, and that’s not with a 40 foot trailer and a straight cab. It needs to be with a 53 foot trailer and a sleeper cab.
Not to travel the interstate and US highways, they need to driver into the big cities around them to get a good feel for it (their driving skills).
Ziegmont says
Without some type of minimum, how is it that we are establishing that a perspective driver can actually DO THE JOB? It’s not enough to see that someone can steer a rig, or complete a Y turn, or find the dock. It’s far more critical to see how they handle their 17th day out with their DM saying they just can’t get them home, or hot seating on a team run for a week regardless of what their intended preference is.
It’s not about the machine as much as it’s about the realities of the job. Driving isn’t for the meek, so qualifying to join up should expose applicants to what they’re in for. Knowledge only goes so far, it’s aptitude and resilience that keep the seat filled. Why not weed out what you can up front. (imho)