A IS A GRADUATED CDL THE Legislation awaiting House vote supported by ATA
NSWER TO DRIVER SHORTAGE?
BY STEVE BRAWNER Contributing Writer
If Americans under 21 can be trusted
to drive a tank in Iraq, can they be trusted to drive an 80,000-pound truck from Memphis, Tenn., across the bridge to West Memphis, Ark.? That’s a question many in the motor carrier industry are hoping to answer, with graduated commercial driver’s licenses potentially providing a clue. Current law limits drivers ages 18-21 to
intrastate driving in the lower 48 states. Graduated CDLs would allow them
to demonstrate over time that they are capable of driving across state lines. The idea is included in the Develop-
ing a Reliable and Innovative Vision for the Economy (DRIVE) Act, which has passed in the U.S. Senate but is sitting in the House. That bill would start small by creating
a six-year pilot program where the Depart- ment of Transportation could approve as many as three compacts containing no more than four states each. States would apply to create the compacts. Under the legislation, drivers could
travel no more than 100 air miles from their home state. They could not drive special configurations such as double trailers, and they could not haul hazardous material. States and the Department of Transporta- tion could develop additional rules and regulations. Rob Abbott, American Trucking Asso-
ciations vice president of safety policy, said the ATA supports the move.
Q3 2015 TENNESSEE TRUCKING NEWS 9
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