In December, as part of Administration’s approach to strengthen America’s supply chains, address bottlenecks, and lower prices for Americans, the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) and the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) announced the Biden-Harris Trucking Action Plan.
Today, to uphold the 30-day commitments made in the Trucking Action Plan, DOT and DOL are announcing next steps on several new initiatives that will support drivers and improve driver retention while expanding access to quality driving jobs now and in the years ahead. These initiatives include:
- Expanding Registered Apprenticeship programs -- more than 100 employers and industry partners have stepped forward to work to expand Registered Apprenticeships in the last 30 days.
- Creating the Women of Trucking Advisory Board mandated in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
- Creating a new task force, mandated by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, to investigate predatory truck leasing arrangements with DOL and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
- Beginning two studies to explore the issues of truck driver pay and unpaid detention time.
- Launching the Safe Driver Apprenticeship Pilot –an under-21 pilot program for truck drivers mandated in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
- Over $32 million in funding to improve CDL licensing process.
In some parts of the trucking industry, 90% of drivers turn over each year. Making sure truck drivers are paid and treated fairly is the right thing to do, and it will help with both recruiting new drivers and keeping experienced drivers on the job," said U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.
“In the 30 days since the Administration’s Driving Good Jobs Initiative was launched, there is new energy and enthusiasm behind the effort to ensure jobs in the trucking industry are good, safe and sustainable jobs attractive to new generation of truck drivers who will remain in the industry over the long term,” said Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh. “Industry has to and is stepping up to partner and in the last month, we are already working with more than 100 employers to expand Registered Apprenticeships for drivers, an important step to making this shift a reality.”
“Too many American truckers are set up to fail with financing schemes or coerced into paying junk fees. To keep our economy moving, we must ensure that truckers who work hard don’t face financial ruin,” said CFPB Director Rohit Chopra.
Last summer, Secretary Buttigieg and Secretary Walsh co-wrote an op-ed that detailed high turnover in the trucking profession and ways to address it. Today’s announcement marks key next steps for the federal government to begin to address some of the challenges truck drivers face in their profession, while expanding access to quality driving jobs now.
Click here for more details on what’s being announced today.
For more information:
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration
1200 NEW JERSEY AVENUE, SE
WASHINGTON, DC 20590
Tel.: +1 1-800-832-5660