Rule delay shouldn’t affect truck driver training school

A two-year delay to a commercial vehicle driver training regulation isn’t expected to have an impact on Mid-America Truck Driving School Inc., with locations in Springdale and Malvern.

The truck driver training school provides training to prospective commercial vehicle drivers, and the Entry-Level Driver Training regulation will require a set standard of training requirements and for training providers to register with a federal database, said Doug Carter, president of Mid-America Truck Driving School. Carter noted the school meets the set standard of training requirements and that they are always evolving.

The regulation will require the school register with the Training Provider Registry of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA). Prospective commercial vehicle drivers will be required to complete a driver training course offered by a school registered with the Training Provider Registry. The FMCSA delayed the compliance date for the regulation to Feb. 7, 2022, to allow the federal agency time to complete the registry and time for State Driver Licensing Agencies to modify their information technology systems and procedures to accommodate the receipt of driver-specific data from the registry.

As the original deadline approached for compliance with the regulation, Mid-America Truck Driving School had prospective drivers from electric and natural gas utilities, city and state governments, and school districts seeking training before the regulation went into effect, Carter said. Historically, these companies and agencies could offer internal training for their new drivers in order to receive a commercial driver’s license. The regulation requires all drivers who are seeking a commercial driver’s license to receive formal training, according to the Commercial Vehicle Training Association.

“While news of the full delay is not unexpected, it is very disappointing to the entire commercial vehicle training community as well as safety advocates who have seen this as a critical step towards improving highway safety,” said Don Lefeve, president of Commercial Vehicle Training Association.