The U.S. Department of Transportation’s (DOT) Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration recently proposed a new pilot program modeled after legislation introduced by U.S. Sen. Todd Young (R-IN).
A Sept. 4 notice was sent to the Federal Register requesting public comment on the proposed pilot program, which would allow 18- to 20-year-old commercial driver’s license holders to operate commercial motor vehicles in interstate commerce while taking part in an apprenticeship program.
Similarly, Sen. Young’s bipartisan, bicameral Developing Responsible Individuals for a Vibrant Economy Act, or DRIVE-Safe Act, S. 569, introduced in February 2019, would direct the DOT to promulgate regulations to implement an apprenticeship program for licensed commercial motor vehicle drivers under the age of 21, according to the congressional record bill summary.
“Like my DRIVE-Safe Act, this proposed pilot program will develop a responsible pathway to safely train more drivers, create new career opportunities for young Hoosiers, and substantially raise training standards to ensure safety on the road,” Sen. Young said. “Indiana is known to many as the Crossroads of America, and having responsible drivers on our roads is critical to the safe transportation of people and goods.”
If enacted, the measure would establish an apprenticeship training program aimed at addressing the nationwide driver shortage in the trucking and logistics industry. The program also would help ensure younger drivers are trained beyond current standards and institute rigorous safety standards and performance benchmarks, according to a bill summary provided by Sen. Young’s office, which noted that federal law currently prohibits these operators from moving goods from state-to-state until they are 21 years old.
“While this proposed pilot program works its way through the comment period, I will continue pushing for the passage of my DRIVE-Safe Act to codify this important change,” the senator said.
The American Trucking Associations and the International Foodservice Distributors Association support Sen. Young’s bill.