The FMCSA will reduce the amount of red-tape and classroom time necessary to upgrade your CDL from Class B to Class A. What that means for many drivers is 27-hours seasoned drivers can spend more time on the road moving freight and earning pay rather than in the classroom going over material for which they already know. This reduction amendment to the Entry-Level Driver Training (ELDT) does not, however, reduce the number of training hours actually behind-the-wheel.

Both the American Trucking Association (ATA) and the Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA) agree with the elimination of the duplicate required training. The ATA sees it as an essential improvement to driver training, and the OOIDA says they hope the money saved will be used to increase behind-the-wheel training at the entry-level. However, fleets and drivers will benefit from the dollar savings, so it is not up to the FMCSA to redistribute those savings to more actual classroom driving. 

Likewise, since the state establishes most Class A & B training curriculums, and the FMCSA has left the option open for the driver training schools to keep the ELDT the same or develop a new standard of training, most will likely choose the cheaper option and leave it as is.  

The independent operators’ association has called for increased entry-level training for CDL holders as more crucial to preventing accidents than the mandated Electronic Logging Device (ELD). For those unfamiliar with these two associations, the OOIDA seems more driver issues-focused than the ATA, which seems more focused on industry issues.

According to the 2016 ELDT final rule, Class B drivers will still need to display proficiency in each element of behind-the-wheel courses of study in the Class A vehicles along with other driver-trainees. There is still no required number of hours necessary. 

Drivers and fleet managers can view the full rule amendment here. 

C. R. England Announces Another Pay Raise 

On February 5, 2019, C. R. England announced it would give drivers another pay raise after only eight months since their most substantial pay raise in the company’s history. Driver trainees will be guaranteed $500-560 per week with a $300 bonus upon completion of their first trip. All drivers will receive a two to seven cents per mile raise, according to Chad England, the company’s CEO.

Cargo Transporters Inc. also announced a one to two-cent per mile increase the same week. Hopefully, this trend will continue, and the driver shortage gap will close. There is a projected shortage of around 150,000 drivers by the year 2025 as many of the industry’s older drivers retire. The current average age is 59.     

Another aspect of the driver shortage is the requirement of CDL holders to maintain a clean driving record and Pre-employment Screening Program (PSP). Most fleet managers at large trucking firms expect drivers to steer clear of moving violations, especially in their commercial motor vehicle (CMV). However, even a traffic ticket conviction in your private vehicle must get reported to your employer within 30 days. 

This notification is often a catalyst to termination of your employment because the manager feels that if you were careless enough to get a traffic ticket in your private vehicle, how long will it be before you get one in your CMV? Although one normally has nothing to do with the other and vehicle tickets do not affect fleet insurance, their theory might be to avoid the bullet. Therefore, when you get a moving violation ticket or for CDL holders, even a cell phone violation, you need an attorney with CDL knowledge and experience in traffic court. 

Ask a CDL-Friendly Traffic Lawyer About Traffic Court in Roseville, CA

Call Bigger & Harman at (661) 349-9300 (se habla Español (661) 349-9755) when you get a traffic ticket around Roseville, CA, in Placer County. Interstate 80, runs from New Jersey to SF and Oakland Port in California. As it crosses the Sierra Mountains between Reno and Sacramento, LEOs catch many CDL holders with the 55 mph statewide speed limit. A driver doing 70 is subject to CA Vehicle Code (CVC) 22406.1, Other Speed Laws, which makes driving 15 mph over the limit a misdemeanor crime.

We are here to assist CDL holders with speeding, out of lane tickets, and other traffic violations because we are exclusively traffic attorneys who regularly handle CDL concerns in Roseville Traffic Court. Give us a call and let’s discuss your issue. The phone consultation is free.

Send us an email, attorney@biggerharmanlaw.com.