Trucking industry experts are worried about newly instated trucking school regulations as they consider recruiting new drivers. But in addition to that, there are federal rules that regulate CDL training requirements that may go into effect on Monday. Of course, industry experts are worried that because of this, the high price of standardized trucking schools may affect the recruitment of new drivers in a negative manner.

CDL Schools know these rules as the Entry Level Driver Training rules.

They had gone into effect on February 7th and would require truck drivers to finish their training from a school that would be listed on the Training Provider Registry. Of course, this is to say that the old ways of driving with family or friends is no longer an option.

Ken Snipes, the director of Austin Resource Recovery (ARR) handles the city’s waste management well. “People won’t be able to now just walk up to someone who has a truck and say, ‘Hey, can you teach me how to drop your truck?’ Now you will be required to go to a school for formalized training. It could pose a barrier. Schools are somewhere around usually 5, 6, $7,000 dollars. That’s not a small sum of money for a lot of people.”

Even though there are concerns over the price, individuals in the trucking industry believes that these standardized requirements will improve driving conditions with overall safety. 

“Having standardized curriculum and outcomes across the United States for people who are entry-level drivers is a very good thing,” says Roy Hawkins, who is the Director of Strategic Partnerships.