The U.S. Department of Transportation has removed the requirement that the person giving a CDL applicant their skills exam should NOT be the same person who trained them. Regulators see this as “commonsense regulatory reform.” Others see it as a major safety and fraud risk.
Federal regulators have stated in the past that they are seeking ways to improve entry-level driver safety. But they are also looking to roll back regulations that are viewed as burdensome to trucking companies. And according to FMCSA Acting Administrator Wiley Deck, this latest change is designed to “allow more drivers to safely enter the industry.”
On Thursday, December 17th, 2020, the DOT announced their final rule regarding “Third Party Commercial Driver’s License Testers.” Once it goes into effect, CDL schools and instructors will be able to determine whether or not their own students pass the skills test. That is seen as a huge conflict of interest by those who are against the change.
But FMCSA doesn’t see any safety concerns.
“Removing the restriction is expected to reduce skills testing delays and thereby allow drivers to obtain gainful employment sooner,” reads the final rule. “In addition, the increased efficiency in skills testing will benefit third party testers and CDL applicants by reducing the time and cost spent to complete skills testing. FMCSA believes this change will not undermine the integrity or effectiveness of CDL skills testing.”
Source: fmcsa, fmcsa, ttnews, freightwaves
Might as well have rookie Swift drivers come in and address the tests. Unbelievable bureaucratic idiots.
No kidding. Some companies have in the past (and may still do) let guys who only have 6-8 months behind the wheel themselves become trainers. There is no way this is going to be safe. Well, hubster needs to hang up the keys, but that won’t help us out on the highway in our POV.
OMG ! This new ruling is ridiculously dangerous.
On behalf of all Long term safe Commercial Drivers, This would be the worst thing the FMCSA has ever done to the Industry. I have been driving for over 25 years-started when I was 21 , The rules have changed many times some good for safety and some bad, but this would totally destroy an Industry of Good carrying CDL drivers. If the FMCSA does this, I and probably many more current truckers would finally just have had enough and do something else.
WHAT ?? This will only fill our highways with another batch of Steering Wheel Holders ! Just think about This–A Very Large Company Who has Their Own Trainers will be able to wave a magic wand & Say OK NOW You are a CDL Licensed Driver ! That Trainer is only interested in Numbers & satisfying the Company Quota of new Drivers ! THIS is Only going to increase The number of Accidents & DEATHS on Our Highways. I have been driving since the Mis Seventies & am now 74 years OLD & I realize that My driving time has come to an end. I will NOT Recertify My CDL the next time it comes due because I value My life as well as the lives of everybody else on Our Highways. Remember Life is Fragile–Handle With Care.
Noooo… This won’t end badly. At all.
Next year, new Drivers WILL get their licenses from a Cracker Jack box.
Robert-You said just the opposite of what you wanted to say. Go back and read what you wrote. You are saying everything will be just fine. No need to worry or be concerned.
Brian, I believe it’s called “sarcasm”. Superb example here.
He just forgot to add the snark tag, but it’s pretty obvious he was being sarcastic.
I guess you don’t know what sarcasm is
Terrible idea.
We have students training students and to think a driver with less than 1 year driving could be giving a rookie their license is scary to say the least.
I truly wonder how much money changed hands to make this happen? If Elaine Chao had anything to do with this I would say shame on her.
I would love to say the govt which made this law would be the first group I sue if a new student hurts someone on the road. The fact is, I’m more afraid for the general public than I am worried about a lawsuit.
Shameful to hear MADD speak up and get what they want…Where is OOIDA in all this?
They not talking about OTR drivers training student .cdl schools being able to do skills test. Instead of dot.not driver trainers
Since you mentioned govt, the outgoing administration made this decision, which is a very bad idea indeed.
This is true. Chao is bought and paid for. But I don’t think Mayo Pete is going to be much better. Did you see/hear his speech? He thinks “transportation” is the same as “travel”. I want to see him “travel” in a big truck for a few weeks to see what “transportation” really means.
How can a driver with less than a year give an exam? Your just wanting to say something. Companies that provide cdl training require their trainers to have a min. Of two years experience one year. Otr. This is from what I have investigated since I am looking into opening up a cdl school
This will compromise safety AND keep wages low in an industry that is already flooded with low wage earners from other countries. This will just insure that wages will remain low and safety will be an after thought.
QUESTION IS . WHO ARE TRAINING THOSE TRAINERS? 99%OF THOSE TRAINERS THEY CANT DRIVE AT ALL. SMALL MAINTENANCE, HAHA , THEY HAVENT A CLUE, THEY AREMONLY ENGAGING AS TRAINERS TO GET EXTRA MONEY, OR LIKE MOSTLY, USE THE STUDANT, WHO ALWAYS SAYS, “I KNOW”, AS CO DRIVER, MAKING TEAMS LOAD IN TIME RECORD. THAT WHAT TRAINERS DO.. SHAME.ON ALL OF YOU.
ITS A REASON WHY SO MANY SEMIS ARE.ON SIDE OF THE DITCH.. LOCK.OF TRAINING.. TRAINERS DONT TRAIN, THEY ARE LOOKONG FOR CO DRIVERS. All comapies do that..safety and dispatchers are responsable for releasing untrained trainers.. SHAME ON DOT, SHAME ON FMCSA, CLUE LESS REGULATION MAKERS
The question you ask is valid. But the part you miss is the simple fact that the best drivers don’t make the best teachers. Teaching is a very complex task and involves more than simply “watch me and do what I do”. You have to have good communication skills, understand teaching and learning styles and be able to adapt the teaching style to serve the student. One of my trainers was a great driver, but he was THE worst teacher of all.
I train teachers – and often the best teachers are the ones who struggled the most to learn to drive properly. I always told students “I may not be able to show you the perfect way to do this or that, but I can show you many ways to screw it up completely. If you can avoid those things you will likely find what works best – for you”.
Btw – lose the caps lock – it appears rude.
You bring up a good point. While I’m a good driver,I’m a lousy teacher. I have no patience for stupidity. But I don’t think a person with only a couple of years under their belt is qualified to teach.
Ever hear of spell checking or proof-reading? Or were you just having a stroke while you were typing that?
Now THAT’S funny!
maybe so but we are only being treated like this because we fail to unify and hold out. Without drivers the economy crashes. Every driver should know this but we fail to band together and protest these low wages
This is something new? That’s how I got my CDL, 8 years ago.
More people will die. Society all ready looks down on us…..now throw poorly trained drivers on the road. My blood pressure is gonna POP !! Driving school “PUPPY MILLS” are gonna pump out killers !!
I don’t see a problem with it , When I started driving it was the chauffeurs license and all you needed to do was pass a drivers exam [test] and you where a truck driver. Didn’t have any formal training or a driver trainer just other drivers and maybe the company .Its the drivers ass in the hot seat and if they have the guts to drive a 80,000 lb. beast in traffic with a standard trans. and 13 gears? Get out of there way and let them drive.
To much regulation any way, even the medical profession is involved now telling you if you can or can not drive , OOO you look like you snore OOO hop around.
The biggest difference between back then and now, back then a great majority of us were raised with common sense where nowadays it is the complete opposite, a lack of common sense.
I believe we have too many regulations to begin with. We didn’t used to have to have a CDL to begin with. Let the trucking companies be responsible.
We do have clueless regulators.. thats the true version.. DOT, FMCSA, ATA, OOIDA, TEAMSTERS, etc all a.joke backed by jockers.. they dont care for.drivers safety. They care for shining trucks and underpaid drivers.. drivers should united.. another joke.. even truck stops became reservation only parking, thats should be enough for us drivers dont use them.services. but those are crowded , drivers fighting for a park.spot. being kicked out by security and police…ita your fault drivers. Stop whinning and start fighting
Well I have been around this business for a long long time one started in ’60s the government sets up in their chair and try to dictate to the trucking would and I am sure that none of them every drove a eighteen wheeler laws are great to many president Trump was headed in right way but the would not leave him alone frist things frist people wake up now’s the time to park these riggs and show this country how important that we really are we are under payed and respect God bless everyone 🙏
I’m seeing more drivers that can’t even back a trailer in a straight line at rail yards. They can’t speak English and cut off other drivers on the roads and fail to stop at stop signs it’s bad enough when 4 wheelers cut you off but when another truck cuts you off you start wonder what’s happening to our industry. I’m glad I’m retiring soon. Its just going to get worse.
This will inevitably cause more serious accidents as cdl mill schools will push out more unqualified students. This will lead to an outcry from the public and lead to carriers looking at auto driving trucks sooner.
They will regret this decision, in 3.2.1..
The FMCSA needs to change leadership. Some trainers can barely complete a skills test with the minimum allowed points. The FMCSA is making a huge mistake. Yesterday seven out of every ten drivers would possibly pass. Now those numbers will rise greatly and so will major accidents. Refer to the current situation on I80. Not all trainers can or will conduct an accurate Examination.
Let’s have the students train the driving instructor.
They always say, “”” I KNOW, I KNOW.. “”” SO WHY NOT
Believe it or not, there is a shred of truth to what you say. If a teacher is not continually learning things from the students, the teacher isn’t likely worth a hoot and is more likely an arrogant a$$.
now that most new trucks are automatics, a semi is now just “like a really big car!” right? with the poor driving Ive been noticing on the roads, car and truck alike, let’s just throw out all the safety rules! mad max style for the win!
Wow if that isn’t a bright idea. But yet hos is ok
Hmmm. This sounds familiar…wasn’t Boeing allowed to self certify an airplane recently (authorized by another DOT agency). Of course, the one that crashed twice and killed a bunch of people!
This is just stupid can they get any dumber? This is where the lobbyist for the trucking schools get a win. The motoring public and safety conscious trucking companies will lose. I mean this takes the idiom “foxes are guarding the hen house” to a new level.
Well the MEGAS just got the green light to self regulate.
QUESTION IS . WHO ARE TRAINING THOSE TRAINERS? 99%OF THOSE TRAINERS THEY CANT DRIVE AT ALL. SMALL MAINTENANCE, HAHA , THEY HAVENT A CLUE, THEY AREMONLY ENGAGING AS TRAINERS TO GET EXTRA MONEY, OR LIKE MOSTLY, USE THE STUDANT, WHO ALWAYS SAYS, “I KNOW”, AS CO DRIVER, MAKING TEAMS LOAD IN TIME RECORD. THAT WHAT TRAINERS DO.. SHAME.ON ALL OF YOU.
ITS A REASON WHY SO MANY SEMIS ARE.ON SIDE OF THE DITCH.. LOCK.OF TRAINING.. TRAINERS DONT TRAIN, THEY ARE LOOKONG FOR CO DRIVERS. All comapies do that..safety and dispatchers are responsable for releasing untrained trainers.. SHAME ON DOT, SHAME ON FMCSA, CLUE LESS REGULATION MAKERS
What needs to change is people with no truck driving experience should never be in a position to regulate those that do, DAC report should cover companies so prospective drivers can get accurate info on the companies to which they are applying to drive for, non compete clauses/contracts have no place in the trucking industry and should be outlawed, signs prohibiting engine brake use should be removed from all highways, cars should not be allowed to use truck bypass lanes, that’s all I can think of right now.
Not a good idea. There’s this little thing called “conflict of interest”. The same reason we asked Presidents to divest themselves of potentially conflicting businesses before taking office. The current one ignored this. That didn’t go well either.
I spent 2 days in a truck with a “trainer.” I tried to be open minded despite the fact I had over 30 years experience on him with no accidents.
After 2 days the idiot had me scared to get in the truck with him. When I went into the terminal managers office to turn my fuel card and keys in he gave me my own truck.
I just got my CDL and I think this is a bad idea. Not because those who instruct are not good at what they do, but because they will be pushing them out the door to get a job, save schools money and allow more room for new applicants. I really feel the MVD should continue testing new drivers coming out of Truck Driving Schools.
I think everyone needs to relax. They aren’t having road instructors evaluate students, the school instructors are the ones that will test students now. You’re not gonna see a 6 month road instructor having a student test in a truck stop. Some people need to think a little longer than half a second.
Gee, I don’t see a single way this could POSSIBLY go wrong /s
Ridiculus
Soon We in Canada are going to be forced to take vacine in order to cross border and I wonder why this thing is stored in -70C before – 40C was sufficient. Look like completely new technology. I also wonder what else is stored at that temp? Embrions? dnacrap?
scary . Good luck guys we all gone need it. It may take like a year before that product get recalled. It takes 9 monts to get from embrion to 3.5kg human.
Ridiculous and not else……
Who cares at this point!
Isn’t DOT filled with a bunch of retards too?
Lets be real guys its not hard to drive a truck. Espicially with ELDs and automatics.
The shippers want their stuff moved as cheaply as possible. They dont care if its a guy trained by a rookie or not. You owner ops complain cause of low rates, well get rid of the 600hp longnose pete and buy a D13 volvo and then you can actually compete.
Well that’s it then. Your government has officially declared that its money over your safety. So many people will die . I cant fathom the stupidity of this decision. Now well have 21 yr old kids that cant drive training other 21 yr old kids how to kill each other on America’s highway in the name of deregulation. Good job
It’s obvious to even this stupid truck driver (me) that the DOT’s and FMCSA’s recent regulation changes ideas ( 18 year olds, Elogs, and now ) this) cater to the biggest players in the industry. They push for regs, which will make the roads even less safe, while at the same time stating that the changes will make the roads safer. Meanwhile in the last decade, or so, I see a constant downward decline in the driving skill and culture of the new generation of drivers. I know, I know….truck drivers always complained about that. They did when I was starting in 1995, too. But no! The quality of driving skills and culture did really decline sharply recently. Everybody and their granmother can sit behind the wheel nowdays. The trucks are being made idiot proof to the dismay and annoyance of the old drivers, so idiots can actually attempt to do it. And the trainers are no longer old, wise, highway cultured folk who can teach the newbie how to be a professional, how to not be an annoyance, or a danger to the public.
DUMB, DUMBER, DUMBEST regulation change I’ve ever seen!
Here’s why:
I went through a 12 day intensive CDL training school certification course.
Then, I ran with 3 different OTR “trainers” over the next 4 weeks.
The USA TRUCK OTR “training” was basically a 2000 mile straight round trip run from Kentucky to Quebec over 5 days.
Within those 4 weeks of “training” I mostly held a steering wheel for 10 hours, and then slept for 10 hours…non stop with part of Saturday, and almost every Sunday off!
How many times did I attempted to back up?
ONCE, and when I couldn’t get it in quickly enough that “trainer” jumped behind the wheel, so we could get going right away!
How did I fare?
When my “OTR training” was over USA TRUCK assigned me to a truck and trailer and sent me from Oklahoma to Baltimore with a 45,000 pound initiation run, all by myself!
Only God knows how I even made it up and down all of those hills with no Jake brakes, and such a newbie, I kept my tandems slid all the way back the entire time.
Over that first year I tore up so much shit trying to teach myself how to back up, seems like every week I was filing another incident report.
I even took out a USPO Dropbox in downtown Chicago, because it was right on a corner and I had no idea how the trailer tails at a different angle with the tandems slid all the way back.
But, here it is 21 years later and I MADE IT so far with only one DOT reportable blindside accident on my record that interestingly enough happened during the first 2 years, which it is what got me FIRED FROM USA TRUCK!!!
Is that why I see mexico here training their own drivers who have no permits to drive but are by themselves? What better way to learn teach yourself. Why get a license when the truck n trailer has one.