The Safe Driver Apprenticeship Pilot Program was a “failure,” and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration should reject an exemption request that would allow it to resume.
That was the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association’s message in a Dec. 17 letter to FMCSA Administrator Derek Barrs.
The letter was in response to the American Trucking Associations’ recent exemption request that would essentially allow an under-21 pilot program to have a sequel.
“Over the objection of OOIDA and others, Congress authorized the failed Safe Driver Apprenticeship Pilot Program in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law,” OOIDA President Todd Spencer wrote. “Since the pilot program’s launch in January 2022, large carriers have struggled mightily to find 18, 19 and 20-year-olds interested in participating.”
“Rather than extending the (pilot program) for another five years, FMCSA should focus on policies that can actually improve driver recruitment and retention.”
Current regulations require interstate truck drivers to be at least 21 years old. CDL holders aged 18-20 are limited to operating in a single state.
ATA’s request
In a letter dated Nov. 14, ATA asked FMCSA for an exemption to resume the program. The original pilot program, which was approved by Congress, ended on Nov. 7.
ATA noted in the letter that apprentices had logged more than 2 million safe miles. However, the program never attracted large numbers since its start in 2022.
In April 2024, it was reported that FMCSA had received only 113 applications from motor carriers. Only 34 of those carriers had been fully approved to participate in the program. According to the report, 36 applications were rejected for failing to complete registration. The program was set up to accommodate 1,000 motor carriers and 3,000 under-21 drivers.
As of the end of 2025’s second quarter, FMCSA reported that it had received 211 motor carrier applications and that 62 had been approved. Meanwhile, only 80 applications had been received from apprentice drivers. Out of those, only 42 completed both probationary periods of the program.
ATA has previously blamed the lack of participation on certain requirements in the program, including driver-facing cameras.
Historically, ATA has claimed that the program was needed to address a truck driver shortage. However, multiple studies have determined that there is no driver shortage. Even more, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy recently refuted any claims of a truck driver shortage.
“I do not buy the idea that there are not enough American truck drivers,” Duffy said at a news conference in October.
As part of the congressional mandate of the pilot program, the Transportation Secretary is required to submit a report detailing the findings from the Safe Driver Apprenticeship Pilot Program.
OOIDA told FMCSA that it should not take any action on ATA’s exemption request until the report is completed.
“We also encourage FMCSA to consider alternative policies that can better improve driver recruitment and retention given the lack of participation from motor carriers, as well as apprentice drivers throughout (the pilot program’s) duration,” Spencer wrote.
Another way?
One of the arguments against the current rules is that 18-year-olds can drive across the entire state of Texas but aren’t allowed to drive 10 miles from Kansas into the bordering state of Missouri.
The ROUTE Act would eliminate this criticism without creating the safety risks that come with allowing an 18-year-old to operate as a long-haul trucker.
The bill, which was introduced by Rep. Harriet Hageman, R-Wyo., would allow under-21 drivers to operate interstate within a 150-air-mile radius of their normal work reporting location.
OOIDA supports the ROUTE Act. LL
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