FMCSA to Hold Listening Session on Driver Training Rule

Federal regulators will hold a listening session next month to gather input on their efforts to require training for entry-level commercial drivers.

The listening session will take place Jan. 7 at the Charlotte Convention Center in Charlotte, N.C., during a meeting of the American Bus Association, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration announced in a notice scheduled to be published in Thursday’s Federal Register. It will also be webcast on FMCSA’s website, http://www.fmcsa.dot.gov

FMCSA proposed to require on-the-road driving training in 2007, but comments it received on the proposal brought forth major issues in the curriculum, program accreditation and how it would affect the availability of drivers in the trucking industry, officials said earlier this month.

The agency is seeking guidance from the Motor Carrier Safety Advisory Committee on how to move forward with the regulation, since Congress has mandated that it be finalized by October 2013.