WHITE HOUSE CLEARS FMCSA'S ENTRY LEVEL DRIVER TRAINING RULE

The White House’s Office of Management and Budget cleared the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s Entry Level Driver Training rule, paving the way for publication once the FMCSA makes recommended changes.

The rule would implement minimum training standards for entry-level commercial truck and bus operators seeking a commercial driver’s license (CDL).

While the exact language of the rule will not be known until the rule is published, an earlier version of the rule outlined a core curriculum broken down into two categories – class time and actual driving time.

The early version of the rule stipulates that FMCSA will develop the curriculum for new drivers.

The basics of class time involve instruction on the operation of the vehicles, including instruments and controls; how to perform pre-and post-trip inspections; how to operate at night, and hours of service.

The driving component requires at least 30 hours of behind-the-wheel training, with 10 hours driving on a range, 10 hours driving on public roads or 10 trips on public roads, no less than 50 minutes each.

The rule also proposed that minimum qualifications related to instructors, testing, training vehicles and curriculum specifics would be used to establish a registry of approved trainers.

It’s important to note that the requirements may have been altered based on public comments. The rule is expected to be published by the end of the year.