“To establish an apprenticeship program for commercial drivers under the age of 21, and for other purposes.”
No CRS summary available for this bill.
This section establishes an apprenticeship program authorizing employees under age 21 holding a commercial driver's license (CDL) to drive commercial motor vehicles (CMVs) with a gross vehicle weight rating of at least 10,001 pounds or transporting placarded hazardous materials in interstate commerce. (As background, federal regulations generally require drivers to be at least 21 years old for interstate CMV operations.) The program requires employers to provide (1) a 120-hour initial probationary period with at least 80 hours of driving time and demonstrated competence in eight basic skills (e.g., interstate driving, safety awareness, hours-of-service logging); and (2) a subsequent 280-hour probationary period with at least 160 hours of driving time and demonstrated competence in six advanced skills (e.g., backing, pre-trip inspections, trip planning). During both periods, apprentices must drive CMVs equipped with automatic/manual transmissions, active braking collision mitigation systems, and forward-facing video event capture while accompanied by an experienced driver (age 26 or older with at least two years of interstate CMV experience, no reportable preventable accidents or pointed moving violations in the prior year). Employers must retain records of skill competencies, provide remediation training for any reportable incidents or violations, and may impose additional requirements or technologies; program completion occurs after the 280-hour period.