DRIVE Safe Act Re-introduced for 116th Congress

In an effort to address the trucker shortage across the country, the DRIVE Safe Act has been re-introduced in the House and Senate for the 116th Congress. While the 48 contiguous states currently allow drivers to obtain a commercial driver's license at 18, they are prohibited from driving in interstate commerce until they are 21. The DRIVE-Safe Act would create an apprenticeship program to allow these younger drivers to enter the industry safely. Candidates would be accompanied in the cab by experienced drivers for a total of 400 hours of on-duty time with at least 240 hours of driving time. Trucks would be required to be outfitted with the latest safety technology including active braking collision mitigation systems, forward-facing event recording cameras, speed limiters set at 65 miles per hour or less and automatic or automatic manual transmissions.

SLMA supported this legislation during the last Congress, as the driver shortage is an on-going issue raised by SLMA members, and is working with a coalition consisting of dozens of associations, led by the American Truckers Association, to move the bill forward. Please take a moment to ask your Members of the House and Senate to co-sponsor the DRIVE Safe Act (HR 1374/S 569). Contact information for your Representative and Senators is available here.