For Immediate Release
June 10, 2003
Contact: Nancy O’Liddy, Director of Public Affairs
703/838-1950 or noliddy@truckload.org
TCA Expresses Disappointment Over FMCSA’s Denial
of Younger Driver Pilot Training Program
Alexandria, VA, June 8, 2003 - Robert Hirsch, president
of the Truckload Carriers Association (TCA) today expressed
disappointment that the Federal Motor Carrier
Safety Administration (FMCSA) rejected a pilot program aimed at the trucking
industry's critical and growing driver shortage. FMCSA's action was in response
to TCA's petition requesting the authority to conduct a pilot program that
would permit drivers between the ages of 18 and 21 to operate
commercial motor vehicles
in interstate commerce. Current federal regulations prescribe a minimum age
of 21 for interstate truck drivers, even though the same
commercial vehicles can
be legally operated in intrastate commerce by drivers below the age of 21 in
every state except two.
Under TCA's proposed pilot, a select number of individuals
between the ages of 18 and 21 years old with spotless driving
records would be carefully screened
and recruited and then required to undergo intensive and carefully monitored
training. To be allowed to drive solo, a successful student would have completed
one year of training and be at least 19 years of age. The training would strictly
follow specially designed training standards developed by the Professional
Truck Driver Institute (PTDI).
The three-year pilot was designed to demonstrate that a
comprehensive regime of selection criteria and ongoing screening
in conjunction with effective training
could produce a safe driver - regardless of age. Following selection into the
pilot, qualified participants would receive extensive and rigorous training
in truck driving and highway safety as well as in relevant
life management skills,
including driver professionalism and responsibility. The training would last
48 weeks and be provided in a structured learning environment. Participants
would also be subject to continuous supervision and monitoring
throughout their participation
in the program. Many driving schools and trucking insurance supported the program
stressing that safe drivers are a product of their environment and training
not their age.
Among the benefits the pilot program was intended to provide
was high paying entry-level job opportunities to qualified
youths, particularly in disadvantaged
areas of the country. While expressing disappointment over FMCSA’s denial
of the petition, TCA President Bob Hirsch stated that, “I am nonetheless
pleased by the fact that FMCSA did not rule out entirely considering a similar
pilot in the future. As stated by FMCSA in the June 9 Federal Register, ‘The
Agency does not believe that all drivers between the ages of 18 and 21 should
be viewed as a safety risk while at the controls of a CMV, regardless of the
requirements that would be imposed upon them... Denial of the TCA petition should
not be construed as a rejection of the argument that screening, training, and
mentoring could improve the safety performance of younger CMV drivers.’ ”
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TCA is the only national trade association whose collective
sole focus is the truckload segment of the motor carrier industry.
The association represents dry van, refrigerated, flatbed,
and intermodal container carriers operating in the 48 contiguous
states as well as Alaska, Mexico, and Canada. Representing operators of over 200,000 trucks, which collectively produce an annual revenue of over $20 billion, TCA is an organization tailored to specific truckload carrier needs.
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