New CDL school rules ‘could be a barrier’ due to high cost of standardized trucking schools

Some trucking industry experts are concerned about the effects the new trucking school regulations could have on recruiting new drivers.

New federal rules governing CDL training requirements went into effect Monday. Now, some industry experts are concerned that the high price of standardized trucking schools will negatively affect the recruitment of new drivers.

The new rules, known as Entry-Level Driver Training (ELDT), came into effect Feb. 7 and require prospective truck drivers to complete their training at a school listed on the Register of training providers. This change means that the old method of learning to drive through family or friends is no longer an option, and some smaller, more affordable trucking schools may no longer qualify as CDL training. acceptable.

“Now people won’t be able to just walk up to someone with a truck and say, ‘Hey, can you teach me how to drop off your truck?’ Now you will have to go to a school for formalized training. That could be a barrier,” said Ken Snipes, director of Austin Resource Recovery (ARR), which handles the city’s waste management.

“Schools are usually around $5, $6, or $7,000. It’s not a small amount of money for a lot of people,” Snipes continued.

Despite price concerns, some people involved in the trucking industry say these new standardized requirements across the country could improve driver training and overall safety.

“Before, all anyone had to do was take a state test,” said Delbert Crawford, principal of the Changing Lanes CDL school in Austin.

“It will make the roads safer,” he said. KXAN. “They should have released this rule a long time ago instead of delaying it.”

“Having a standardized program and outcomes across the United States for novice drivers is a very good thing,” said Roy Hawkins, director of strategic partnerships for the Southern Careers Institute in Austin.