UPDATES

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.

32 | Official Publication of The Ohio Landscape Association 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.

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OOIDA SAYS DELAY ‘CONTRADICTS’ SAFETY In August, the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association told the FMCSA that there shouldn’t be further delays in implementing federal entry-level driver training rules. OOIDA has supported the creation of a minimum national standard for entry-level driver training, arguing that improving training would promote highway safety.

OOIDA has supported national driver training standards and has been an active participant in the rulemaking process.

“The December 2016 final rulemaking established a 3-year compliance period that should have been sufficient for the agency and the states to prepare for this year’s implementation. Any further extensions will only delay the safety benefits that come from more comprehensive entry-level driver training requirements,” OOIDA President Todd Spencer said.

“Delaying the rule directly contradicts FMCSA’s mission of reducing crashes, injuries, and fatalities involving large trucks. Truckers will tell you the best way to promote safety is improving the driver training requirements and right now too many new drivers enter the industry without the basic skills or knowledge to safely operate a commercial motor vehicle.” The two-year delay does, in turn, present some opportunity for improvement in the rule.

“While the regulations that were expected to take effect next year would have undoubtedly improved highway safety, the rulemaking still did not include any behind-the-wheel instruction necessary for acquiring a CDL. This is difficult to comprehend when you look at some industries with far less public safety implications that require hundreds if not thousands of hours of training before licensing individuals,” Spencer said.

“Even within transportation, commercial pilots typically need at least 250 hours of actual flight time before they can be licensed. If the regs are delayed another two years, OOIDA will continue working with Congress and FMCSA in order to establish substantive, mandatory minimum standards for behind-thewheel training before the next implementation date.”

This article, written by Jami Jone, appeared at LandLineMedia.com. Land Line Magazine is the go-to news resource for all professional truckers who want to know how the news will affect them.

As part of the OLA’s mission, we continually offer training opportunities for your landscape business. In regards to the delay in implementing this program, we will be looking into the viability of offering our CDL Training Clinic in the coming months, and/or potentially next year. For the most up-to-date list of these clinics & programs, please visit https:// www.ohiolandscapers.org/calendar.html.