A coalition groups, which include the Teamsters, have brought a federal lawsuit against the Department of Transportation and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration for not heeding what they say are Congressional requirements to produce an entry-level driver training rule in the U.S.
According to U.S. trade media, the suit accuses the government of not acting on a 1993 deadline for an entry level training rule laid out by Congress and also being over a year late on the same requirement made by the 2012 MAP-21 highway funding act.
The suit was filed Sept. 18 in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. Public Citizen is representing the groups.
The plaintiffs want the court to order the DOT to produce a proposed rule within 60 days of a court ruling and to issue a final rule within 120 days after the issuance of the proposed rule.
In a statement, FMCSA said it has been working on improving a rule it produced in 2004 regarding entry-level driver training.
“Safety is our top priority and FMCSA is working to improve upon the 2004 rule that is currently in place and implements entry-level driver training that includes behind-the-wheel instruction for operating large trucks and buses. We have engaged the public in listening sessions and are bringing together stakeholders to collaborate on a new proposal that meets the requirements passed in the 2012 transportation bill and prepares drivers for the job.”
The groups say they also filed a suit in 2004 seeking the agency to propose rulemaking on the minimum requirements and training that drivers should have prior to receiving their CDL.