Congresswoman Claudia Tenney Seeks Relief to End Truck Driver Shortage and Supply Chain Crisis
Washington, DC – Congresswoman Claudia Tenney (NY-22) has joined a bipartisan group of 85 lawmakers in urging the US Department of Transportation to proceed with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s (FMCSA) Under-21 Commercial Driver Pilot Program in order to provide swift relief to the trucking industry that currently faces significant worker shortages of more than 80,000 drivers. The Biden Administration has stalled this effective Trump-era program for nearly a year despite the nation’s ongoing supply chain crisis.
At this time, 49 states and the District of Columbia allow 18 to 20-year-old commercial driver license (CDL) holders to operate commercial motor vehicles (CMVs) for intrastate commerce, but these same drivers, who have demonstrated themselves to be safe drivers for three years, are prohibited from driving across state lines to do the exact same work.
Tenney also recently announced she is supporting the Supplying America Needs Truckers Aged (SANTA) 18 Act which would eliminate burdensome regulations that keep 18- to 20-year-old truck drivers from transporting cargo off ships and overloaded ports. She is also a supporter of the bipartisan the DRIVE-Safe Act that would create an apprenticeship program for 18- to 20-year-old commercial drivers to drive interstate.
Throughout her public service career, Tenney has been a strong supporter of safely broadening the criteria of CDLs to help remedy the chronic trucker shortages hurting domestic farms, manufacturers, and consumers. In the 115th Congress, she introduced the WHEEL Act which would have created a similar pilot program for CDL holders aged 18-21 with a clean driving record and certification from a qualified training program.
“The Biden Administration is standing in the way of commonsense solutions to relieve our supply chain, and it’s time for Congress to step in and offer solutions. Reimplementing this program would allow for more qualified truck drivers to get behind the wheel and get our supply chain moving again. I will continue working to resolve this crisis and provide relief to Americans feeling its very real impacts.”
Full text of the bipartisan letter can be found here or below.
Dear Secretary Buttigieg,
Amid the growing supply chain crisis, drivers in the trucking industry have stepped up to ensure the timely delivery of goods. Yet even with their efforts, there simply aren’t enough truckers on the road to meet the demand.[1] Given this, we urge the Department of Transportation (DOT) to proceed with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s (FMCSA) Under-21 Commercial Driver Pilot Program.
Currently, only commercial driver’s license (CDL) holders over the age of 21 can operate commercial motor vehicles (CMVs) in interstate commerce. However, 49 states and the District of Columbia already allow 18 to 20-year-old CDL holders to operate CMVs in intrastate commerce. Accordingly, Congress supported, and the Trump Administration began, the process to implement the FMCSA’s Under-21 Commercial Driver Pilot Program to allow drivers aged 18, 19, and 20 to operate CMVs in interstate commerce. This new pilot program would create a road map to drastically increase the number of truck drivers and alleviate the current crisis. Yet, the DOT has not taken action to move this program forward.[2]
As our supply chain issues continue to grow, we should be doing everything we can to fix the problem. Therefore, we urge implementation of FMCSA’s Under-21 Commercial Driver Pilot Program. It’s critical that we pursue all avenues to alleviate the supply chain crisis and get goods moving again.
Thank you for your attention to this letter. We look forward to your prompt response.
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