Would-be truck drivers will have to clear a new training regime, including 44 hours behind the wheel, before they can get a commercial license, under a proposal by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.


The proposal comes in response to a 2005 court order that said the lack of a requirement for road training is a fatal flaw in the current rules. That order had been sought by Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety, which successfully argued that the agency ignored evidence that road training enhances safety.

Under the proposed new rule, anyone applying for a new or upgraded CDL will have to graduate from an accredited training program that includes classroom and road training. The instruction would be based on the current Model Curriculum, which addresses basic operation, safe practices, maintenance and non-vehicle activities. For a Class A tractor-trailer license, the curriculum would include 76 hours of classroom work and 44 hours of behind-the-wheel training. Class B and C licenses would require 58 hours of classroom work and 32 hours behind the wheel.

The agency would grant three years' grace before enforcing the rule. This is to give the states time to pass implementing legislation and modify their computer systems so data from the new Driver Training Certificate can be entered into the Commercial Driver's License Information System. Also, the truck driver training industry will need time to get ready for the new requirement.

Training schools will have to be accredited by an agency recognized by either the federal Department of Education or the Council for Higher Education Accreditation. The agency said there are 11 agencies that already have accredited some 130 truck driver training schools.
The agency said that while it supports the use of computers and driving simulators to teach safe driving techniques, it will not allow them to substitute for road training.

The proposal can be found at www.regulations.gov (Docket number 27748). Comments are due March 25.