New Pennsylvania law targets unlicensed CDL schools

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Pennsylvania regulators can now impose civil penalties of up to $25,000 on unlicensed commercial driver training schools under a new state law.

Gov. Josh Shapiro on July 20 created Act 50 when he approved legislation to rid the state of unlicensed training providers who put unqualified CDL holders on the road.

Senate Bill 1294 was spearheaded by state Sen. Judy Ward, chair of the Senate Transportation Committee, and co-sponsored by eight other state Senate Republicans.

The measure updates the Private Licensed Schools Act enacted in 1986 to allow the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) to enforce standards and levy significant penalties against unauthorized CDL training schools. The bill exempts private carriers that train their drivers at no cost.

The PDE board can now approve, on a majority vote, to impose a civil penalty as high as $25,000 on anyone who provides federally required entry-level driver training without being licensed by the state.

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Ward 

A civil penalty may be ordered once per violation. Funds from the fines are to be paid into the State Treasury and credited to a restricted PDE revenue account.

In the past, the board could impose a minimum $300 fine for violations of the act and civil penalties of up to $2,500 against violators and operators of unlicensed postsecondary private schools.

“In fiscal year 2024-25, the State Board of Private Licensed Schools collected $6,750 in civil penalties from nine entities,” a House Appropriations Committee report on fiscal implications noted.

Ward spearheaded the law after learning during a state Senate transportation hearing in December about pressing safety issues facing members of the Pennsylvania Motor Truck Association.

According to PMTA, Pennsylvania had 40 licensed CDL schools at the time, along with an undetermined number of potentially exempt or unlicensed training facilities among the 1,100 entities listed in the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s Training Provider Registry. FMCSA has since stepped up enforcement targeting CDL mills.

“By holding unlicensed training providers accountable, we are protecting motorists and ensuring the next generation of commercial drivers receives the essential skill set and respects the CDL credential,” Ward said. “Commercial driver’s license holders operate the largest vehicles on our roadways, and the training they receive has a direct impact on public safety.”

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Oyler 

PMTA President Rebecca Oyler testified: “Professional truck drivers and responsible motor carriers deserve a system that holds everyone to the same standard. The CDL is the gateway to the trucking profession. It is the credential that assures employers, law enforcement and the traveling public that a driver has met the minimum standards required to safely operate an 80,000-pound vehicle.”

The association represents 1,200 trucking and transportation-related companies. A member who spoke at the hearing was Jeff Mercadante, chief safety and risk management officer for Pittsburgh-based Pitt Ohio and chairman of American Trucking Associations' Safety Management Council.

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Mercadante 

Pitt Ohio ranks No. 44 on the Transport Topics Top 100 list of the largest for-hire carriers in North America.

Mercadante explained drivers apply for jobs at Pitt Ohio with valid CDLs but lack essential driving skills because of poor training.

“We routinely encounter applicants whose primary training experience came from simulators,” Mercadante testified. “Simulators have value, but they cannot replace the judgment, confidence and muscle memory that only come from actual behind-the-wheel driving under supervision.”

He said carriers must provide significant time and resources to establish foundational skills required before these applicants have true professional driving skills.

“The CDL must be a credential that employers can trust,” Mercadante said. “When it is not, both safety and operational reliability are compromised.”