The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) published a Federal Register Notice that it would establish a pilot program to enable drivers with a commercial driver’s license (CDL) aged 18 to 20 to drive from one state to another. Currently, those drivers are limited to intrastate travel. This program would help increase the number of drivers with a valid CDL.
“The waste and recycling industry is not immune to the driver shortage facing other industries,” said NWRA President and CEO Darrell Smith. “We have consistently supported policies aimed at increasing the pool of eligible drivers.”
As early as 2020, FMCSA sought to establish a similar program. However, the bipartisan infrastructure bill approved last year included the DRIVE-Safe Act that required FMCSA to establish the pilot program. NWRA has supported the DRIVE-Safe Act since it was first introduced in 2019 and lobbied for its inclusion in the bipartisan infrastructure act that was signed into law last year.