Johnson: DOT Is Asleep at the Wheel

Press Release

Today, U.S. Representatives Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.) and Josh Harder (D-CA) along with 85 of their colleagues sent a bipartisan letter to U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) Secretary Buttigieg urging quick reimplementation of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration's (FMCSA) Under-21 Commercial Driver Pilot Program. While the trucking industry is short nearly 80,000 drivers, this Trump-era pilot program has been stalled by the Biden DOT for nearly a year amid ongoing supply chain delays.

Currently, 49 states and the District of Columbia allow 18 to 20-year-old commercial driver license (CDL) holders to operate commercial motor vehicles (CMVs) in intrastate commerce but these same drivers, who may have been driving safely for three years, are unable to drive across state lines.

"DOT is asleep at the wheel," said Johnson. "America is dealing with a supply chain crisis and the Biden Administration isn't taking tangible steps to fix the problem. This pilot program could add more than 3,000 truck drivers to an industry that desperately needs workers."

"Government needs to get out of the way and let our businesses and workers do what they do best," said Harder. "I'm calling on the Biden Administration to cut the ridiculous red tape so our truck drivers can get to work and our economy can get moving again."

During the 116th Congress, the DRIVE-Safe Act garnered over 140 cosponsors. This bill underscores congressional will to implement an Under-21 Commercial Driver Pilot Program and the Trump Administration took action to make it a reality.

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