C.R. England appears to be having problems recruiting and retaining a sufficient amount of new drivers in order to keep up with demand, and they’re putting the blame on the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.
They pin the blame on the law requiring commercial learner’s permit holders to be accompanied by CDL holders in the front seat during on-highway training.
They’ve asked the FMCSA to be exempt from this law
“Either we send the driver to their home state by bus or airplane, at C.R. England’s expense, and hope that the CLP holder obtains the final CDL and returns to C.R. England, or C.R. England must incur double the cost for about half of the production by sending them to their home state on one of our trucks,”
Simply put, they want permit holders to be able to drive as part of a team, in order to deliver a load on their trip back home to get their CDL (thus generating revenue for the company, instead of an expense).
Big trucking companies like C.R. England have been able to push their weight around in the past when it comes to creating (or becoming exempt) from certain legislation, so history is on their side.
Have a comment on the request? The FMCSA has initiated a public commenting period where you can voice your opinion on the matter.