Chris Spear, President and CEO of the American Trucking Associations (ATA), highlighted three issues important to CVTA Members in testimony to the U.S. House Committee on Education and the Workforce this week.
Improving Enforcement of ELDT Rules and TPR Compliance:
Spear’s testimony strongly encouraged Congress to continue support for Entry-Level Driver Training (ELDT), noting that “ensuring entry-level drivers receive appropriate instruction from a consistent, industry-wide curriculum is paramount to improving safety on our nation’s highways.”
Most importantly, Spear called on Congress to “work with FMCSA to determine how best to increase auditing activities of ELDT, particularly as they relate to noncompliant entities listed on ELDT’s Training Provider Registry (TPR).”
CVTA sincerely appreciates ATA’s efforts and attention to ELDT compliance issues and values the robust engagement between the two associations on this critical issue. In support of this effort, CVTA continues to work with key FMCSA offices to support improved ELDT enforcement, with ongoing meetings and formal submissions overseen by CVTA’s FMCSA Task Force.
Defining Truck Driving as Essential, Skilled, and In-Demand:
And Spear noted the importance of allowing future drivers to access funding to pay for training when they are trained through private, for-profit training providers. Allowing students trained by these providers to access workforce development funds would support a robust and dependable U.S. supply chain by ensuring the industry trains an increasing number of new drivers amidst a significant shortage of truck drivers nationwide.
CVTA schools stand ready to meet the needs of the driver shortage, and access to additional workforce development funding would help our schools connect new drivers to great training and quality jobs.
Granting States Additional Flexibilities to Administer CDL Exams:
Finally, Spear’s testimony described the importance of proposed legislation that would reduce administrative barriers that drivers experience when getting a CDL. The LICENSE Act would make permanent two waivers that FMCSA granted during the COVID-19 pandemic. Under these waivers, third-party testers were allowed to administer the CDL knowledge test and states were allowed to administer the CDL skills test to any out-of-state applicant, regardless of which state the applicant was trained in.
CVTA continues to work with federal and state governments to reduce the burden of skills testing delays. Legislation like the LICENSE Act would reduce barriers drivers experience, and CVTA encourages Congress to quickly pass this legislation.
You can read Spear’s full testimony here. We thank Chris Spear and ATA for their continued support on issues important to CVTA Members and our industry.