The federal government is moving ahead on the Truckload Carriers Assn.'s proposal to set up a pilot program to allow younger drivers behind the wheel of commercial trucks.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration announced Tuesday it is asking for comments on the pilot program proposal, which would allow drivers 18-20 years old to drive in interstate commerce under strict conditions. Under current regulations, interstate commercial drivers must be at least 21 years old.
TCA petitioned the FMCSA to run the pilot program as a way of addressing a shortage of qualified commercial drivers. Because of the gap between when young people get out of high school and the age they can legally drive interstate, many potential drivers are lost to other careers.
"The pilot will enable the industry to tap into a segment of the workforce that we are unable to utilize today, merely because of age limitations," said Ronnie Dowdy, president of Arkansas-based Ronnie Dowdy Inc. and chairman of the TCA panel that spearheaded filing the petition with FMCSA. "Unfortunately, fewer younger people have chosen trucking as a career over the past 25 years. In many cases, this has been solely because of the current 21-year age restriction." (See "TCA Wants To Train 18-Year-Olds," 1/17/2000.)
Pilot programs are made possible under provisions of the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21), giving the Secretary of Transportation authority to grant exemptions from the Federal Motor Carrier Regulations in order to evaluate alternatives to regulations.
Under the terms of the proposal, each applicant driver would be subject to a minimum of 48 weeks of intensive classroom training, driving instruction, and supervision designed to lead the trainee to full-time employment as an interstate commercial driver. This training would include mandatory attendance at an approved truck driver training school for a minimum of 22 weeks. This would be followed by eight weeks of training in a motor carrier's "driver finishing" program under the daily direction and guidance of an experienced driver trainer). After that, the driver would have 18 weeks of team driving with an experienced driver. Younger drivers would be required to pass the performance standards of the entire 48-week program and reach the age of 19 before beginning solo driving.
Under the proposal, a consortium of participating motor carriers and schools would train approximately 1,000 drivers. TCA expects that up to 20 carriers and about 10 schools would participate in the three-year pilot program. A number of carriers and schools have already expressed interest in participating.
If approved, the FMCSA would closely monitor drivers, driver training schools and motor carriers participating in the pilot program. Participants found not to be compliance with the program standards or federal regulations would be removed from the program and subject to appropriate administrative and civil sanctions.
The FMCSA is interested in public comment on whether such a pilot program could ensure a level of safety that is equal to or greater than that of drivers 21 years of age or older who are not subject to specialized selection, training, and monitoring beyond that required by the Commercial Driver's License.
Written comments on this proposal should be sent by May 21, 2001, to the USDOT Docket Facility, Attn: Docket No. FMCSA-2000-8410, Room PL-401, 400 Seventh Street, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20590-0001. The Notice of Proposed Rulemaking is posted on the Internet and can be viewed after searching at http://dms.dot.gov/. Comments also may be submitted electronically at this site.