WASHINGTON — An eastern Washington high school has petitioned federal regulators to let 17-year-olds enrolled in its CDL program obtain a commercial learner’s permit (CLP) to help students get a truck driver job immediately upon graduating.
Officials from Connell High School (CHS) in Connell, Washington, told the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration that with the exemption, students in the program would obtain a CLP and receive 180 hours of classroom, field and drive time instruction before obtaining a CDL at the age of 18, according to a notice posted by the agency on Thursday.
Current federal regulations and Washington state law requires CLP holders to be at least 18.
“CHS believes that granting the exemption will allow students to obtain a CDL at 18 years of age and, upon graduation from CHS, immediately enter the local workforce with stable, well-paying employment,” FMCSA’s notice states. “CHS also believes that the exemption could have a positive impact on the local communities and alleviate the current commercial driver shortage.”
CHS told FMCSA that of the over 600 freshmen through seniors at the school, 70% are minorities and 70% are economically disadvantaged. The school district “serves a primarily agricultural community across four small rural towns, with a decreasing workforce but with an increasing agriculture and transportation demand,” according to the notice.
“The applicant states that a similar program exists in the state of Maine and is offered by public institutions and allows students as young as 16 years of age to obtain a CLP. CHS believes its robust CDL preparatory program will ensure CHS achieves a level of safety that is equivalent to, or greater than, the level of safety that would be obtained by complying with the regulation.”
CDL drivers hauling interstate cargo must be at least 21, but most states allow intrastate commercial truck drivers to be at least 18. Intrastate drivers who live in Maine can be as young as 16 as long as they’re hauling nonhazardous materials.
Amid opposition from truck safety groups, Congress, with support from the American Trucking Associations, recently eased restrictions on a federal pilot program testing whether it’s safe to roll back the interstate commercial truck driving age to 18.
The public has until June 17 to comment on CHS’ petition.