Regulatory Freeze Means Training Rule Not Effective This Week
Yesterday, March 21, was set to be the effective date for the final rule on Minimum Training Requirements for Entry-Level Commercial Motor Vehicle Operators. However, because of President Trump’s regulatory freeze, that date has been pushed back to May 22.
The original effective date was February 6, 2017, but that date was pushed back to March 21 when the freeze was first announced in January. The Feb. 7, 2020, implementation date remains the same.
The recommendation from the Entry Level Driver Training Advisory Committee was that new drivers seeking their CDL be required to complete a minimum of 30 hours of behind-the-wheel time. The final rule from the FMCSA chose not to include that requirement.
Safety advocates and even some truckers don’t feel the rule contains sufficient training.