Minimum Training Requirements for Entry-Level Commercial Motor Vehicle Operators

Dear Mr. Yager, Accidents happen. Often accidents occur that involve drivers who are well experienced and well trained. Circumstances combine and events occur. How well any driver of any vehicle will respond depends on the response to the circumstances, how quickly the driver responds, and any number of other factors. How does one teach anyone how to avoid a rollover other than teaching them to follow existing laws and use just a bit more caution and less acceleration, less aggression, or better response time? A lot can be learned through accident investigation, but oftentimes, the truth, the real truth, will never be known as to the cause of an accident. Commercial drivers are often singled out for blame, but are they really at fault? Nobody really knows. It isn't the length of the driver's training that will make a difference really. It is how he or she was trained that will make a difference. The actual operation of a commercial vehicle or passenger bus can be learned rather quickly. Shifting gears and learning the various maneuvers required takes more time than most commercial schools are willing to take. Driving practice in real conditions may or may not be provided. Hours of Service regulations need to be standardized onece and for all and taught one way and one way only. Time needs to be taken to put the log book rules into practice. When my husband attended CDL school through Swift Transportation in 2000, his log book was used everyday even while not driving or even riding in a vehicle so that he got used to logging every event that accounted for his time on- duty driving, on-duty not driving, off-duty, and off-duty sleeper berth. When he and his trainer were on the road, his trainer reviewed the log book at the end of every day and helped him with its accuracy. He leaned a great deal by by training in the classroom and learned to follow the correct procedures in school and in the trainer's truck. What needs to be emphasized with new drivers is that the use of more than one log book is illegal and should never be done. The first offense for having two logs books should be suspension of the CDL for not less than one year. There is no excuse for using two log books. A second offense would mean permanent loss of the CDL. All drivers already know that two log books is illegal, so why bother with fines? They will simply do it again. A tired driver is a dangerous driver. Make the penalty fit the offense and make the penalty strong enough to be a deterrent. Accidents involving inexperienced drivers are sometimes due to their lack of good driving skills even when driving their private vehicles. You cannot drive these large vehicles the same way you drive a car. The idea isn't supposed to be about how to get anywhere fast. The goal is to get to the destination on time with the cargo undamaged so that you can get to your next destination to pick up the load that is waiting for you. Commercial Driver training does need to be standardized, but it needs to be set at the most stringent levels, not at a minimally acceptable level. It is the minimal level that causes the problems. New drivers need to understand the real consequences of inattention and refusal to follow posted traffic instructions. They need to be trained in real traffic and in varied road conditions. BTW, the comments from the small operators are a bit bogus, as most of them do not hire brand new drivers. Their insurance companies won't have it. Most new drivers drive for large companies that have the ability to train via classroom and in- cab methods. Swift is one of them, as are Schneider, JB Hunt, US Express, and CR England, among others. No matter which school is doing the training, if they are not using the Smith method, then they are not doing the best that can be done to prepare drivers for the road. Many of the existing CDL schools are only in the business of getting the s…

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