OOIDA opposes exemption request over trainer qualifications

For years, the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association pushed for the implementation of entry-level driver training requirements. Now that the regulation has finally hit the books, OOIDA doesn’t want the rule to be undermined by a bevy of exemptions.

That’s why OOIDA asked the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration to reject a driver training school’s exemption request.

In June, the Western Area Career and Technology Center’s asked FMCSA to exempt an instructor from needing to have at least two years of experience driving a commercial motor vehicle.

As part of its formal comments to the agency, OOIDA said that a good driver training program is the best way to promote safety on the highways.

“Currently, too many new drivers enter the industry without the basic skills to safely operate a commercial motor vehicle,” OOIDA wrote. While the entry-level-driver-training rulemaking that went into effect earlier this year is far from sufficient, the regulation does establish minimum qualifications for training instructors. If these standards are maintained and enforced, highway safety will undoubtedly improve.”

WACTC, a Canonsburg, Pa.-based college, said it needs the exemption because of the difficulty involved in finding qualified instructors. The college said that the instructor for whom it is seeking the exemption would reach the two-year threshold in August.

“We feel there is no substitute for an experienced behind-the-wheel trainer, and employing these instructors will help achieve the objectives of the (entry-level driver training) rulemaking,” OOIDA wrote.

The Association also noted that the rulemaking was published in December 2016, giving training schools about five years to reach compliance.

“We encourage FMCSA to reject the WACTC exemption request,” OOIDA wrote. “The (entry-level driver training) rule should not be diluted to accommodate entities that have failed to prepare for its implementation.”

SBL Driving Academy

OOIDA also recently opposed a similar exemption request from South Carolina-based SBL Driving Academy.

In May, South Carolina-based SBL Driving Academy asked the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration to exempt two of its employees from the theory and behind-the-wheel instructor qualification requirements contained in the entry-level driver training regulations. The training school cited an alleged driver shortage as part of its reasoning for the exemption. LL