Sec. 32403. Commercial driver access
502 words·~2 min read·
/bill/114/hr/22/eas/section-32403A research copy — for the controlling text, always check the official state or federal source. Not legal advice.
The Administrator of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration may establish a 6-year pilot program to study the feasibility, benefits, and safety impacts of allowing a licensed driver between the ages of 18 and 21 to operate a commercial motor vehicle in interstate commerce. The Secretary shall allow States, including the District of Columbia, to enter into an interstate compact with contiguous States to allow a licensed driver between the ages of 18 and 21 to operate a motor vehicle across the applicable State lines.
The Secretary shall approve as many as 3 interstate compacts, with no more than 4 States per compact participating in each interstate compact. A valid intrastate commercial driver’s licenses issued by a State participating in an interstate compact under paragraph
(2)shall be recognized as valid not more than 100 air miles from the border of the driver's State of licensure in each State that is participating in that interstate compact. In developing an interstate compact under this subsection, participating States shall provide for minimum licensure standards acceptable for interstate travel under this section, which may include, for a licensed driver between the ages of 18 and 21 participating in the pilot program— age restrictions; distance from origin (measured in air miles); reporting requirements; or additional hours of service restrictions. An interstate compact under paragraph
(2)may not permit special configuration or hazardous cargo operations to be transported by a licensed driver under the age of 21. The Secretary may— prescribe such additional requirements, including training, for a licensed driver between the ages of 18 and 21 participating in the pilot program as the Secretary considers necessary; and provide risk mitigation restrictions and limitations. An interstate compact under subsection (a)(2) may not go into effect until it has been approved by the governor of each State (or the Mayor of the District of Columbia, if applicable) that is a party to the interstate compact, after consultation with the Secretary of Transportation and the Administrator of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. The Secretary shall collect and analyze data relating to accidents (as defined in section 390.5 of title 49, Code of Federal Regulations) in which a driver under the age of 21 participating in the pilot program is involved. Beginning 3 years after the date the first compact is established and approved, the Secretary shall submit to Congress a report containing the data collection and findings of the pilot program, a determination of whether a licensed driver between the ages of 18 and 21 can operate a commercial motor vehicle in interstate commerce with an equivalent level of safety, and the reasons for that determination. The Secretary may extend the air mileage requirements under subsection (a)(3) to expand operation areas and gather additional data for analysis. The Secretary may terminate the pilot program if the data collected under subsection
(c)indicates that drivers under the age of 21 do not operate in interstate commerce with an equivalent level of safety of those drivers age 21 and over.