Trucking outfits and government agencies continue to wrestle with their fear and desire to cure the truck driver shortage. The federal Safe Driver Apprenticeship Pilot Program was designed to onboard adults under 21 into the truck driving trades. However, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s (FMCSA) high rejection rate, coupled with a recent Canadian truck accident study, may throw more cold water on the movement to reduce America’s growing CDL shortage.
Of the 113 trucking companies applying for the “Safe Driver Apprenticeship Pilot Program,” the FMCSA rejected more than one-third. But the rub is that it did not necessarily approve the other two-thirds. Recent reports indicate the FMCSA approved 30 percent. The rest did not have a Gen Zer signed up to begin an apprenticeship. To give everyday people an idea of how bleak recruitment has been thus far, the expectation was that between 1,000 and 3,000 truck transportation companies would jump into the program launched with the Infrastructure law back in 2021. Although few may notice, the Pilot Program sunsets in November 2025.
Critics, as well as advocates of young adult CDL programs, may both feel vindicated by a recent Canadian study. That’s largely because the Commercial Trucking Insurance and Education report shines a statistical light on the relationship between inexperience and collisions.
“New, inexperienced truck drivers are more likely to be involved in accidents. There is a clear correlation between truck driver experience and training, and the rate and severity of claims. Younger and inexperienced drivers tend to have more accidents and, when these occur, they are often more severe than those of older, more experienced drivers. Consequently, as new drivers enter the industry to replace those retiring, the cost of insurance is likely to increase unless steps are taken to reduce accident rates,” the report states.
In Canada, anyone 18 and older who meets basic criteria can pursue a CDL career, versus 21 years old for interstate truckers in the U.S. Critics of integrating under-21 adults may see this report as a reason to not renew the U.S. program in 2025.
By that same token, the Canadian study does not necessarily point to an age bracket. It merely points to “inexperience” as a primary factor. The report also strongly advocates mentoring and training programs to minimize truck accidents. Given the lack of applicants and high rejection rate, it doesn’t appear the Safe Driver Apprenticeship Pilot Program is the cure to the truck driver shortage.
Sources:
https://www.freightwaves.com/news/fmcsa-has-rejected-34-of-under-21-truck-driver-applications
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