FMCSA to host apprenticeship program webinar

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is required to provide an apprenticeship pilot program as part of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.

To meet that requirement, FMCSA announced the Safe Driver Apprenticeship Pilot Program in January. The three-year program helps individuals ages of 18-20 explore interstate trucking careers while assisting trucking companies in the hiring and training of new drivers, says the FMCSA website.

Companies interested in participating in or learning more about the program are invited to attend a webinar from 1-3 p.m. Eastern on July 25.

“The program acknowledges that safety is the highest priority for truck drivers,” FMCSA wrote in a news release.

The webinar will covers topics including training qualifications, participations requirements and instructions about the applications process.

Attendees are encourages to submit any questions they have to FMCSA at SafeDriver@DOT.gov by July 21.

The deadline to register for this free public information session is July 22.

OOIDA comments

When FMCSA published a notice regarding the establishment of the pilot program in January 2022, the Owner-Operators Independent Drivers Association was staunch in its opposition.

“When it comes to highway safety, the data is clear – younger drivers and inexperienced drivers crash more,” OOIDA wrote in its formal comments.

The Association noted that the program would strengthen the trainer requirements but requested more information on how FMCSA will determine whether or not to extend the program beyond three years.

“What, if any, quantitative safety metrics will be part of the final analysis?” OOIDA wrote. “If crashes and fatalities occur during the program, will those be made public? OOIDA believes that the examination of crashes is the most reliable method to evaluate safety performance.” LL