New law aimed to make ELDT easier for truck drivers
After years of lobbying by the Owner-Operators Independent Driver Association and other groups, the entry-level driver accreditation rule went into effect in February 2022.
However, now they want to cancel it.
In July, Rep. Bob Goode of Virginia re-enacted the Trucking Workforce Improvement Act. The bill would remove a ruling by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration that requires a prospective driver to complete an entry-level driver’s program before obtaining a commercial driver’s license.
Supporters of the bill say the rule needs to be dropped as there is still a shortage of truckers in the industry.
«A persistent shortage of truckers is making it difficult for our local farmers and manufacturers to do business with their communities, driving up prices for consumers across the country,» Goode said in a press release.
Opponents of the law, including OOIDA, believe that the problem with lack of truckers is «mythical and far-fetched.»
«When you talk about drivers’ shortages, it’s one of those mythical topics that we’ve been hearing about for three decades,» said OOIDA President Todd Spencer. «It’s backed by companies whose real underlying problem is that there are a lot of drivers out there, but the companies can’t hold on to them.»
OOIDA opposes the abolition of the ELDT, as they believe that new drivers in the industry need to gain relevant experience and knowledge.
