Truckers Chafe at Rule Driving Them Into Class Cindy Skrzycki
Truckers Chafe at Rule Driving Them Into Class: Cindy Skrzycki
By Cindy Skrzycki
Jan. 29 (Bloomberg) — The Bush administration wants new
truck drivers for the first time to complete a behind-the-wheel
and classroom-training course before they are licensed to roll
on interstate highways.
The Dec. 26 proposal says new drivers would need to get
training in an accredited program — 120 hours, including 44
hours behind the wheel — before they can get commercial
licenses. Currently, truckers have to pass an exam given by the
states, much like that for an auto license, that doesn;t call
for formal training.
The U.S. Department of Transportation rule estimates it
will cost $167.8 million a year to train 40,000 new drivers. The
measure replaces a 2004 rule that a federal appeals court
rejected for not following government findings that training was
needed.
“We didn;t do the due diligence we should have,;; John
Hill, administrator of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety
Administration, said in an interview. He said the new proposal,
which is out for comment until March 5, “will elevate standards
and require truck drivers to be paid more.;;
The issue is a vital one for the $646 billion trucking
industry, which places a premium on keeping trucks rolling in
the face of driver shortages and high turnover. Almost 5,000
people were killed in truck accidents in 2006, down slightly
from the two previous years.
The American Trucking Associations, the industry;s lobbying
group in Washington, said it doesn;t support this approach to
covering new drivers. It opposes the accreditation requirements
for schools, certain requirements for trainers, and the number
of hours that would have to be spent in training.
`Can They Drive?;
“This should be about `Can they drive the truck and pass
the test?;;; said David Osiecki, the group;s vice president of
safety, security and operations. “It should be proficiency
training with a good quality test.;;
Some trucking companies say they see the need for the rule.
Don Osterberg, vice president of safety and driver training for
Schneider National Inc. of Green Bay, Wisconsin, said he would
like to see the rule expanded to include competency training
where students are tested on what they know, not how long they
trained. His company trained 9,000 new drivers in six of its own
driving academies last year, he said.
Schneider uses simulators, computers, class time, and
behind-the-wheel practice and follow-up to judge if a new driver
is ready to go or has developed any bad habits.
“We train to standards, not to time,;; said Osterberg.
Some drivers can learn a skill like trip planning in four hours
and others can;t, he said.
`Absolutely Shocking;
“It is just absolutely shocking,;; Todd Spencer, executive
vice president of the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers
Association in Grain Valley, Missouri, said of the current
commercial license standards. “There is no training required
whatsoever to drive a 40-ton vehicle,;; the weight of a typical
70-foot tractor trailer.
Spencer;s group, which has about 160,000 experienced
drivers, thinks the new rule should be even stronger. “This
curriculum would be an absolute minimum,;; he said, adding that
new drivers should be considered trainees for six months.
The proposal notes that some drivers are trained by big
motor carriers who want to hire them. Other new entrants
voluntarily attend and pay for one of 200 truck-driving schools
and programs across the country.
Safety groups and Congress have pushed the Transportation
Department since a 1991 law told the agency to determine the
adequacy of driver training. Besides the fatalities, truck
crashes caused 106,000 injuries in 2006, according to government
figures. Industry experts said the highest risk of an accident
is in the first two years of driving.
`Cousin Jake; Teaches
“They get cousin Jake to show them how to operate the
rig,;; said Gerald Donaldson, senior research director for
Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety, a non-profit safety group
in Washington whose suit over the 2004 rule led to the revision.
“Then the terrifying thought is they learn by doing.;;
Federal regulators have known since 1995, when they
published a three-volume “Adequacy Report,;; that drivers
weren;t properly trained and that only 9 percent of motor
carriers offered sufficient training. The study also said
driving time on streets and highways was essential.
The safety group and the owner-operators sued after the
2004 rule ignored the training issue and focused on driver
wellness and qualifications, legal limits on drive time and
whistle-blower protections.
“Our eyeballs fell out and bounced off the floor,;;
recalled the safety group;s Donaldson.
In 2005, a panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the
District of Columbia told the agency to write another rule.
`Inexplicably Ignores; Report
“The final rule inexplicably ignores the Adequacy Report
and the regulatory prescriptions contained in that report, the
opinion said. The agency has adopted a rule with little apparent
connection to the inadequacies it purports to address.;;
The safety group;s Donaldson sees shortcomings in the new
rule, too. It wouldn;t cover new drivers until three years after
its effective date. It pertains only to interstate drivers, and
less training is required for drivers of other trucks and
interstate buses.
“We are trying to respond to the court;s concerns and
provide highway safety,;; said regulator Hill. “This is a big
departure from the previous rule.;;
To contact the writer of this column:
Cindy Skrzycki at
