Dive Brief:
- The Department of Transportation is proposing the removal of more than 550 CDL schools from the national training registry for apparent violations of Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration standards, the agency said Wednesday.
- The DOT said it conducted more than 1,400 onsite investigations over a five-day period that found non-compliant schools had a range of violations, including a lack of qualified instructors and failing to properly train drivers to transport hazardous materials.
- FMCSA Administrator Derek Barrs said the investigations were conducted to “ensure strict compliance with federal safety standards.”
Dive Insight:
The DOT has been pushing states to comply with federal standards to improve safety. The agency has also asked states to be more diligent in their oversight of commercial driver license programs and English language proficiency.
Many states have also faced scrutiny by the DOT over their management of non-domiciled CDL programs, which could put those states at risk of losing federal highway funds.
The DOT’s investigation into CDL schools said common violations also included programs not having the right vehicles to provide certain types of training and failure by providers to test students on basic requirements. The DOT said some schools told investigators they did not meet their own state’s specific requirements.
“If a school isn't using the right vehicles or if their instructors aren't qualified, they have no business training the next generation of truckers or school bus drivers,” Barrs said. The DOT said in addition to the more than 550 identified schools, another 97 remain under investigation for compliance issues.
The DOT’s action was hailed by trucking groups, including the Commercial Vehicle Training Association, which said in a statement that the “surprise enforcement blitz caused many CDL mills to exit the industry altogether rather than risk the results of FMCSA inspection.”
CVTA Executive Director Andrew Poliakoff said while it may take time for CDL mills to exit the marketplace, it will lead to the industry having access to drivers who are trained by reputable schools.
Henry Hanscom, chief advocacy and public affairs officer with the American Trucking Associations, said in a statement the trucking industry depends on safe, skilled, and well-trained drivers.
“That begins with training providers that meet and uphold rigorous federal curriculum and qualification standards,” Hanscom said.
Todd Spencer, president of the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association, in a statement, said shutting down trucking schools that fail to meet even basic federal standards is “a significant step toward protecting the motoring public and defending the professionalism of America’s truck drivers.”
