WASHINGTON – The Independent Owner-Operator Drivers Association has called on Congress to immediately eliminate what it considers “unsafe” commercial driver’s license (CDL) waivers and exemptions, warning that they undermine safety and contribute to driver turnover in an industry already suffering from a long transportation slump.
In a letter sent Tuesday to the leaders of the House and Senate Transportation Committees, the group representing small commercial truckers stressed that strengthening training protocols and qualifying routes is the necessary way forward, not lowering standards.
OOIDA specifically called out the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Administration’s practice of granting an exemption from the rule requiring a commercial driver’s license (CLP) holder to always be accompanied by a valid CDL holder who is physically present in the front seat of the cab.
“OOIDA consistently disagrees [such] Exemptions for passenger vehicles, but FMCSA is now considering a proposed rule to completely eliminate the front seat requirement for CLP holders who pass the proficiency test, the group said, referring to a rule FMCSA plans to implement as a final rule in May 2026.
The proposed rule, “increasing flexibility for testing and for drivers after passing the skills test,” was supported by the American Transportation Associations, but met with strong opposition from truck owners and safety advocates.
This rule reduces the current CDL test regulations by:
- Allows CLP holders who have passed the CDL skills test to operate a truck without having a CDL holder in the passenger seat.
- Increasing the ability of CDL applicants to take a proficiency test in a state other than the state in which they live.
- Removal of the requirement that the applicant wait at least 14 days after the issuance of the CLP to take the CDL skills test.
In its letter to Congress, OIDA argued that the rule as proposed would “not adequately instruct the CLP holder if the CDL holder is not in the passenger seat.” “Due to the minimal nature of current entry-level driver training (ELDT) standards, inexperienced drivers will face countless conditions, scenarios and other challenges for which they have no training in their first months and even years on the road.
In addition to rolling back waivers and exemptions from certain FMCSA regulations, OOIDA made several other recommendations to the Transportation Committees as they develop the highway reauthorization bill, including enforcing English language proficiency rules, ensuring consistency in the issuance of indirect CDLs, and strengthening ELDT standards.
The group’s safety concerns come against the backdrop of a trucking industry in which too many truckers are chasing too few hauls, “which has contributed to the longest trucking slump in decades.”
“To be clear, there is no ‘driver shortage’ in trucking. Instead, there is tremendous driver turnover as trained drivers enter new jobs for which they are unprepared.”
OIDA insists that policies and laws like the Drive Safe Act, a bill pending in the House that would remove CDL restrictions for drivers under 21, will address a driver shortage that never existed.
“In reality, those who support these policies simply want to maintain a steady flow of cheap labor. Instead of facilitating the entry of unsafe drivers into our industry, Congress should take aggressive action to strengthen training, licensing and qualification protocols for commercial truck drivers.”
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