The American Trucking Associations (ATA) has petitioned the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) for a 5-year exemption to allow motor carriers that previously participated in the Agency’s Safe Driver Apprenticeship Pilot (SDAP) program, which ended on November 7, 2025, to continue onboarding and training 18 to 20-year-old apprentice drivers.
ATA feels that the SDAP program’s quarterly reports demonstrated positive safety outcomes, including millions of miles driven by program participants without reportable crashes. Also, there was effective oversight, as FMCSA exercised its authority to remove carriers or participants when necessary to ensure safety. ATA believes that continuing the regulatory relief under an exemption would create minimal administrative burdens for FMCSA and participating motor carriers.
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