People who train truck drivers in West Virginia will need to navigate an uncertain regulatory environment. A 60-day delay imposed by the administration of President Trump on all new federal regulations has pushed the effective date for truck driver training standards out to March 21, 2017. The Minimum Training Requirements for Entry-Level Commercial Vehicle Operators established by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration might face further delays while under review by administration officials.
If the new standards become active, a three-year time period will be needed to apply the rules to CDL training programs across the country. Drivers receiving their commercial operator licenses after Feb. 7, 2020 will need to meet the standards. As of yet, this final deadline has not been altered.
The regulations intend to distribute a standard curriculum throughout all training programs. The standards included behind-the-wheel training. Initially, the FMCSA required 30 hours of actual driving, but the final version did not set a minimum amount of hours.
In principle, federal trucking regulations seek to promote safer driving because accidents with large trucks tend to inflict severe injuries. An occupant of another vehicle who is injured in a crash with a semi truck might face high medical expenses and be unable to work temporarily or permanently. An attorney could assist the victim with the preparation and filing of a personal injury lawsuit. The attorney could review the police investigation report, maintenance records, driver logs and eyewitness testimony, and look for evidence of trucking company negligence or truck driver fatigue.