Under 21 truck drivers

DOT nominee Duffy vows to prioritize rebuilding I-40

WASHINGTON — A top action item on transportation secretary nominee Sean Duffy’s to-do list – if confirmed – is to visit storm-ravaged I-40 in Tennessee and North Carolina and prioritize rebuilding it.

“We need to know that this is going to be front and center with you so that we can get that interstate rebuilt and reopened,” U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., told Duffy at his confirmation hearing Wednesday.

“If I’m confirmed, the first trip I would like to make is … to see the devastation and...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/dot-nominee-duffy-vows-to-prioritize-rebuilding-i-40

FMCSA has rejected 34% of under-21 truck driver applications

WASHINGTON — The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration says only 113 motor carriers have applied for its under-21 truck driver apprenticeship program since the agency began accepting applications in July 2022, a dismal sign for an initiative that had been expected to recruit up to 1,000 carriers and 3,000 drivers.

The data, included in a fiscal year 2022 report submitted to Congress last week by FMCSA, also revealed that as of February 2024, FMCSA has rejected 34% – or 38 of the 113...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/fmcsa-has-rejected-34-of-under-21-truck-driver-applications

Lawmakers look to bolster ranks of young truck-driver program

WASHINGTON — A proposal aimed at lowering barriers to the Biden administration’s under-21 truck driver apprenticeship pilot program has strong support from the nation’s big-carrier lobby.

The DRIVE Safe Integrity Act, introduced Wednesday by Reps. Rick Crawford, R-Ark., and Henry Cuellar, D-Texas, would potentially remove a requirement in the Safe Driver Apprenticeship Pilot (SDAP) program for drivers ages 18-20 that participating carriers also join the U.S. Department of Labor’s registered...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/lawmakers-look-to-bolster-ranks-in-young-truck-driver-program

Knight-Swift CEO rejects push to allow truck drivers under 21

ORLANDO, Fla. — Allowing truck drivers 18-20 years old to drive interstate cargo — a plan strongly supported by the Biden administration and the American Trucking Associations and seen as a way to address a driver shortage — would be a drag on carrier economics and safety, according to Knight-Swift President and CEO David Jackson.

“The idea of bringing 18-year-old drivers in, I think is a horrific idea for a multitude of reasons,” Jackson told attendees at the Truckload Carriers Association here...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/knight-swift-ceo-rejects-push-to-allow-truck-drivers-under-21

FMCSA to consider easing CDL rule for truck driver trainees

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WASHINGTON — The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is considering loosening restrictions...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/fmcsa-to-consider-easing-cdl-rule-for-truck-driver-trainees