At a time when the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is placing increased emphasis on driver training, a trucking company is asking for the renewal of an exemption related to CDL standards.
In a notice that was published in the Federal Register on Wednesday, Dec. 10, Wilson Logistics asked FMCSA to exempt them from the regulation that requires a CDL holder to be seated in the passenger seat when a commercial learner’s permit holder is driving.
In 2021, Wilson Logistics received a five-year exemption for learner’s permit holders who have passed the CDL skills test but haven’t obtained the document from their home state. Now, the company wants the exemption to continue.
The company touted its training program in its application, saying that since the exemption was granted in 2021 that 91.5% of its 1,381 CDL applicants successfully received licenses.
“Wilson Logistics employs a company-sponsored, hands-on, on-the-job, pre-apprentice CDL training program,” wrote Bruce Stockton, the company’s chief safety and operations officer. “We do not consider our program to be the average, bare bones CDL training program, and we do not train or test the public. As you see from our results, not all applicants pass the test and because we exercise discipline in making sure those that receive the CDL are highly trained, our own safety and CSA scores prove that our process works.”
According to FMCSA’s notice, a Wilson Logistics trainer accompanies a commercial learner’s permit holder for 30,000 miles after he or she has passed the test. The CDL holder is in the passenger seat for the first 10,000 miles. For the next 20,000 miles, the trainer isn’t necessarily in the front seat.
Similar exemptions have been granted to Werner Enterprises, Covenant Logistics, CR England, New Prime, CRST and Stevens Transport.
How to comment
FMCSA will accept comments on the exemption request through Jan. 9. To submit a comment, click here or go to Regulations.gov and enter Docket No. FMCSA-2019.0174. LL
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