UP DATES
DRIVING RULES DELAYED After giving the industry, state and federal agencies four years to prep for the new CDL requirements, rather than roll out the entry-level driver training rule in phases – as proposed last year – the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has opted to punt the implementation of the entire rule for two more years. The final rule detailed the curriculum for individuals seeking Class A and Class B CDLs to drive trucks and/or buses. Additional curriculum segments were included for specialized niches like hazardous materials. That final rule was later amended to ease the transition from Class B to Class A licenses in May 2019, reducing some of the theory curriculum requirements. The rule did not include a specified amount of time required for behind-the-wheel training for either the range or on-road training. Instead, the agency opted for a proficiency-based approach that would accommodate individuals who learn at different paces. The agency blamed the inability to quantify the benefit of requiring a set number of hours behind the wheels, but said it would study the results of training without a requirement and make adjustments in the future, if necessary. These regulations would also restrict those who can train entrylevel drivers to those registered with the agency. The registry
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would allow the agency to track successes, and failures, of training providers. Trainers with substandard performance could face removal from the registry and would no longer be permitted to train new drivers. Those provisions led to the initial proposal in July to postpone parts of the final rule. Two provisions in the rule – the date for training providers to upload entry-level training certification information into the Training Provider Registry and the date for state driver licensing agencies to receive driver-specific entry-level driver training information – were to be extended two years to Feb. 7, 2022. Following a review of the public comments regarding these rules, FMCSA has confirmed that they have postponed the entire rule for 2 more years. This extension is reflective of the their continued efforts to develop a secure, efficient and effective electronic trainer registry. The agency remains committed to making the implementation of the rule as effective as possible.
