Trucking Regulations: The Trucking Action Plan Has Been Announced

The Biden administration has released a "Trucking Action Plan" to strengthen the workforce force of the trucking industry due to the current supply chain chaos.

What does this mean? Some of the things that we have debated for years on this forum, and you have probably debated with others outside of this forum, looks to be coming to life, or at least attempting to.

We have debated prior military having an easier path into the industry, like it or hate it, there is a plan to make an easy transition from military to the trucking workforce for those with military driving experience.

We have debated 18-20 year old adults being able to drive interstate routes. Like it or hate it, there is a plan in place to make that a reality.

Lots of other things in this plan as well. Rather than start off with my opinions, I am going to simply toss in a few keypoints from the press release/fact sheet, link you to it, and we can have the discussion from there.

for the sake of having an adult discussion, focus on the plans that are being set forward, not a bunch of political rants about politicians and parties you hate. Doing so will have you quickly exited from the discussion.

So, lets read a little about the plans....

Immediate plans:

Take steps to reduce barriers to drivers getting CDLs:
DOT and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) are supporting state departments of motor vehicles as they return to—or even exceed—pre-pandemic commercial driver’s license (CDL) issuance rates, which is helping bring more truck drivers into the field. FMCSA will provide over $30 million in funding to help states expedite CDLs. Today, FMCSA is sending all 50 states a toolkit detailing specific actions they can take to expedite licensing and will work hand-in-hand with states to address challenges they are facing. FMCSA will also begin closely tracking delays, identifying states that have challenges with issuing CDLs, and communicating with all 50 governors about ways they can reduce delays in issuing CDLs.

Kick off a 90-day Challenge to accelerate the expansion of Registered Apprenticeships:
This 90-day challenge is a national effort to recruit employers interested in developing new Registered Apprenticeship programs and expanding existing programs to help put more well-trained drivers on the road in good trucking jobs. Trucking employers of all sizes and across industry segments——from long haul to last mile, from cargo containers fresh off of ships to tank trucks transporting essential fuel – are seeing the potential value of Registered Apprenticeship. Registered Apprenticeship is the gold-standard of workforce training that provides paid, on-the-job learning, and today there are more than 10,000 apprentices in the trucking industry. Expanding this proven workforce strategy in trucking is critical for ensuring high-quality training for new drivers and helping employers develop and retain a skilled and safe workforce. For employers ready to step up, DOL and national partners will help accelerate new program development in as little as two days.

Conduct veterans-focused outreach & recruitment:
There are approximately 70,000 veterans who are likely to have certified trucking experience in the last five years. The DOL Veterans’ Employment and Training Service (VETS) and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) will work with Veterans Service Organizations, Military Service Organizations, unions, industry trucking associations, training providers, and private partners to enable transitioning service members and veterans to attain good jobs in the trucking industry. DOL and VA will work to ensure veterans’ driving experience is recognized for those seeking a CDL and will build on proven models, such as SkillBridge programs for transitioning service members.

Launch joint DOT- DOL Driving Good Jobs initiative:
Supporting drivers and ensuring that trucking jobs are good jobs is foundational for a strong, safe, and stable trucking workforce. DOT and DOL are announcing today the launch of the joint Driving Good Jobs initiative, which marks a new partnership between the agencies that will include: hosting listening sessions that engage drivers, unions and worker centers, industry, and advocates; lifting up employers and best practices that support job quality and driver retention that can be scaled; working together to implement research and engagement efforts outlined in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, including studying the issue of truck driver pay and unpaid detention time; identifying effective and safe strategies to get new entrants in the field from underrepresented communities, including women and young drivers between the ages of 18-20; setting up a task force to investigate predatory truck leasing arrangements; and identifying longer term actions, such as potential administrative or regulatory actions that support drivers and driver retention by improving the quality of trucking jobs.

In the next 30 days:

• DOL and DOT will kick off listening sessions with drivers, industry and labor leaders, and advocates to hear their perspectives, profile promising practices, and source scalable solutions to retention and job quality issues for truckers. The first events in this series are happening today in South Carolina with Secretary Buttigieg, Deputy Administrator Joshi, and representatives from DOL and at the White House co-chaired by Secretary Buttigieg, Secretary Walsh, and National Economic Council Director Deese.
• FMCSA will issue funding opportunities for states to streamline CDL processing and reduce testing delays.
• DOL, DOT, and intermediary partners will work closely with committed trucking employers to launch the first group of Apprenticeship Challenge programs.
• FMCSA and DOL will begin an in-depth study of driver compensation, as part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, to examine truck driver pay, including the time drivers spend waiting to pick up or drop off freight without getting paid.
• DOL’s VETS and the Department of Veteran Affairs will organize a meeting with Veterans Service Organizations and Military Service Organizations to discuss opportunities to employ veterans in the trucking industry, including leveraging Veteran Affairs’ education and training benefits.

In the next 60 Days:

• Acknowledging that safety is the highest priority for truck drivers, FMCSA will launch a pilot for drivers ages 18-21 as mandated by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, incorporating Registered Apprenticeships to ensure rigorous training standards and pairing each young driver with an experienced mentor.
• DOL and DOT will host a series of national Apprenticeship Accelerator meetings to help more firms develop new programs and release a quick-start toolkit for apprenticeships in the trucking sector.
• DOL VETS, DOL Employment and Training Administration, and DOT’s Federal Motor Carriers Safety Administration will conduct a roundtable to discuss efforts to facilitate a CDL for transitioning service members and veterans. The meeting will include representatives from the United Services Military Apprenticeship Program as well as Veterans Affairs.
• In FY21, VETS initiated and implemented ENPP to more effectively assist transitioning service members with the establishment of career goals and to connect them with best-in-class employment partners to facilitate positive employment outcomes. ENPP is currently at 16 military installations. DOL will expand the Employment Navigator and Partnership Pilot (ENPP) program to now include the trucking industry.

In the next 90 Days:

• The Department of Labor will announce the results of the 90-day Apprenticeship Challenge and announce new partnerships to continue to expand apprenticeships in the trucking industry.
• DOT and DOL will launch the task force dedicated to promoting the recruitment, inclusion, and advancement of women in trucking established in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. This task force will be the first of many strategies to help build the pipeline and diversify the trucking workforce.
• DOT and DOL will launch the task force to investigate predatory truck leasing arrangements that dissuade drivers from entering or staying in the industry established in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
• DOT and DOL will deliver a comprehensive action plan, informed by its series of listening sessions, outlining any further administrative and regulatory actions the Administration can take to support quality trucking jobs.

FACT SHEET: The Biden-⁠Harris Administration Trucking Action Plan to Strengthen America’s Trucking Workforce | The White House

Trucking plays a critical role in the U.S. supply chain and economy. America’s truck drivers have been on the frontlines of this pandemic, delivering

www.whitehouse.gov

 

[Mike]

So, we debated the simplifying of former military into the industry. Love it or hate it, it is part of this new plan. Personally, I like it.

We also have debated 18-20 year olds driving interstate. Love it or hate it, it's coming. Personally, I like it. I think this is the one thing that will have good unintended consequences such as better pay for company drivers (which raises rates for owner operators), as well as provided better benefits. We will have more people who actually want to be a truck driver, actually being able to drive a truck, rather than going into a different trade out of high school. People that are here because they wanted to be here, not people who are here because another venture failed. This should have happened a long time ago, IMO.

I see a potential nail in the coffin for owner operators. This is the term I use for truck owners that are leased to carriers. Also a nail in the coffin for lease purchase programs, at least in their current form. These two fields are clearly coming under attack with this new plan.

 

[Mike]

OOIDA was represented, focus seems to be on drivers being paid for all of their time. I agree with this, but it bothers me that drivers don't demand this for themselves. This is a result of drivers being in this industry because they feel they have no other choice and afraid to demand better.

 

[gearjammer]

I read thru the plan and did not see anything addressing a lot of things that have hurt truckers over the years.
the constant changing of the hours of service being the worst problem of many onerous regulations that have hit the industry, most of which had nothing to do with safety and in fact in some cases made things less safe.
for the O/o's there has been constant regulations and practices designed to make it harder and harder to make a living.
the government has always walked in lockstep with the ATA which has always made it their mission to run O/o's out of the industry and after seeing that the Trucking Alliance and the American Trucking Associations are involved I for-see that continuing on an even larger scale, I didn't see OOIDA being involved in the article.
and lets not forget the brokers that have screwed the O/o's for years, many years ago there was a bill to rein their deceptive practices by introducing HB 2250 and the brokers had a heart attack and put a LOT of money in getting it quashed, if they hadn't been successful there would have been a lot of tarred and feathered brokers running around
What is being talked about sounds like a start but I am very pessimistic that any good will come of this but will make things worse for the industry
what you are going to get in the end is something where the unions and the ATA will gain an even greater stranglehold on the industry

 

[Mike]

I read thru the plan and did not see anything addressing a lot of things that have hurt truckers over the years.
the constant changing of the hours of service being the worst problem of many onerous regulations that have hit the industry, most of which had nothing to do with safety and in fact in some cases made things less safe.
for the O/o's there has been constant regulations and practices designed to make it harder and harder to make a living.
the government has always walked in lockstep with the ATA which has always made it their mission to run O/o's out of the industry and after seeing that the Trucking Alliance and the American Trucking Associations are involved I for-see that continuing on an even larger scale, I didn't see OOIDA being involved in the article.
and lets not forget the brokers that have screwed the O/o's for years, many years ago there was a bill to rein their deceptive practices by introducing HB 2250 and the brokers had a heart attack and put a LOT of money in getting it quashed, if they hadn't been successful there would have been a lot of tarred and feathered brokers running around
What is being talked about sounds like a start but I am very pessimistic that any good will come of this but will make things worse for the industry
what you are going to get in the end is something where the unions and the ATA will gain an even greater stranglehold on the industry

Breaking this down a little from my point of view.

Hours Of Service, at this point, I think they are better than the old 10/8 rules that we had for so many years. I know I rest much better and can be more productive when you factor in actually running legal and not rewriting history.

As for owner operators being screwed by brokers, I have no sympathy to be honest. These are contracts signed by business owners. Otherwise, they are contracts being signed by the carrier, at which point it becomes a situation between the carrier and the truck owner. Once again though, it's a business owner accepting terms that they shouldn't be.

 

[Mike]

To me, the folks that get screwed are the new company drivers. They show up to a trucking company expecting rainbows and unicorns, and are faced with something totally different than what they expected. I feel less sorry for them than I used to because with the internet there is no reason for them to not see the truth. Plenty places out there like this one that warns you what to actually expect. As a result, I think things have gotten better, but still not acceptable in my opinion. It is still a crap job for a company driver. It is still a crap situation for a lease purchase driver, or most owner operators that are still under the thumb of company policies and dispatch. Some of these owner operators might not be forced dispatch, but they are still at the mercy of someone providing them freight, and if they stand their ground on crap loads, where does that put them in the standing of their superior?

Not sure how Government fixes any of this though. Maybe work towards forcing pay for downtime, but I hope they focus that on the company drivers, if that is possible.

I honestly don't want the government to have any further control over this industry.

 

[gearjammer]

I can agree to a point on the HOS with the exception of not being able to stop the clock
I always had an issue at dawn and always took a nap for an hour then, after they changed the rules I could no longer do that on a lot of my loads

and as far as the brokers the passing around of loads to other brokers was and is common practice each taking their cut and while you could find what the cost the shipper paid it took a lot of time and work, and what the broker said the gross was could at times be far less that what the customer actually paid

The only thing that change d when 2250 was being talked about was a rule that the brokers had to state the true price only on government loads which was and is complete bullshit!

 

[Mike]

I can agree to a point on the HOS with the exception of not being able to stop the clock

The clock stops now. Get stopped for more than two hours and your day is automatically extended now if you want it to be.

 

[Sinister]

We don't need HoS reform. Just leave it alone already.

If you can join the military at 17 with parental consent there's no reason you can't drive a truck.

Drivers should be paid for many more things than they are. Since I came here it baffles me how much stuff I used to accept as simply "part of the job" because thats just the way it always was.

I don't really make a lot of money, but I make a decent amount a lot more often, which equals a larger total.

Not that it affects me but recently I ran across a ton of tik tok videos where people are still sitting for hours and hours even if on time for their appointment. Walmart grocery is still one of these places. It seems 5 hours is common. Many places are even worse.

That needs to be addressed somehow. Time is valuable. Time is money. Why have appointments that are only binding to the carrier, while thr shipper or receiver bears no accountability for not giving a shit about a person's time?

It's one of the things that convinces me never to go back to normal trucking. It's just not worth the headaches most of you folks put up with.

 

[Mike]

Not that it affects me but recently I ran across a ton of tik tok videos where people are still sitting for hours and hours even if on time for their appointment. Walmart grocery is still one of these places. It seems 5 hours is common. Many places are even worse.

That needs to be addressed somehow. Time is valuable. Time is money. Why have appointments that are only binding to the carrier, while thr shipper or receiver bears no accountability for not giving a shit about a person's time?

This is where I am conflicted and wondering why we need government intervention. It's a place where I am at odds with OOIDA as well.

There are companies out there like Walmart. There are other carriers out there who are not private carriers that pay good mileage rates and good detention rates. Somehow, these carriers will be bypassed time after time in favor of a carrier that pays crap rates and no detention.

Even with owner operators. There are those leased to carriers that will sit for hours, sometimes days, with nothing in there contract that guarantees there pay for this. There are those like me, with my own authority, who sit out here and take loads from brokers with no guaranteed detention and layover rates, or rates that are absolute crap, while there are brokers out there who do much better, and carriers who simply demand better on a per load basis from the crap brokers.

Don't see why Government needs to be involved at any level.

 

[Electric Chicken]

18-21 is critical career decision and implementation time if you're not going to college. So saying "no you can't choose this" is ridiculous and forces them into a different trade, settling in, and starting a family to the point where they're like "nope too late to go driving now. F ya, industry." Then they only come in when their job disappears.

 

[Sinister]

18-21 is critical career decision and implementation time if you're not going to college. So saying "no you can't choose this" is ridiculous and forces them into a different trade, settling in, and starting a family to the point where they're like "nope too late to go driving now. F ya, industry." Then they only come in when their job disappears.

Or they end up in the industry later in life and massively struggling to adjust to the fact that trucking is uncomfortable in ways many people with "normal" jobs never even think of.

 

[Electric Chicken]

Or they end up in the industry later in life and massively struggling to adjust to the fact that trucking is uncomfortable in ways many people with "normal" jobs never even think of.

That too. It honestly does suck compared to a 9-5 unless the idea of a 9-5 is repulsive to you.

 

[Rigjockey]

I was agin it before I started typing out my first reply and had to rethink things over again, reconsider and post a polar opposite opinion.

I have no problem with ex-military being trained and driving truck. I am going to generalize and say they are a well disciplined group.


Now having youts sound like a bad idea. Thinking about it, if youts can serve in the military, then surely youts can drive a truck.
Hell I was 21 when I got my ticket, just one year older than the proposed 20 yr.