FMCSA signals no fast track for teen-driver program extension

WASHINGTON — An upcoming decision facing the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is more than a simple regulatory deadline: it’s a choice between competing economic visions for the U.S. trucking market.

On one side, large corporate fleets – represented by the American Trucking Associations – argue that FMCSA’s Safe Driver Apprenticeship Pilot Program (SDAP), which recently completed three years of data collection on interstate drivers between the ages of 18 and 21, is a vital tool for economic growth.

On the other side, independent owner-operators – represented by the Owner-Operator Independent Driver’s Association – contend the program is a mechanism for wage suppression that undermines the stability of small businesses.

FMCSA and its chief, Derek Barrs, must now weigh these conflicting perspectives in deciding whether to allow SDAP to continue or to let it expire.

Responding to an inquiry from FreightWaves, the agency confirmed it is currently reviewing program data alongside stakeholder feedback.

Crucially, FMCSA noted that it is “required to deliver a report to Congress in 2026,” which will include the formal results of the pilot and “may provide recommendations for the program’s future.”

This suggests that a decision on a recent request by ATA to extend SDAP, which officially ended on November 7, could be deferred until the study is finalized. Congress gave the Transportation Secretary 120 days after the program’s expiration – until approximately March 10, 2026 – to submit the report to Congress.

Economic tug-of-war

The delay places the agency directly between two competing economic philosophies.

Large fleets argue that SDAP provides a “structured pathway for younger, well-trained drivers to enter interstate commerce under rigorous oversight and technology-driven safeguards,” according to ATA’s extension request. This can help combat what ATA considers to be a chronic driver shortage and to modernize the trucking industry.

ATA also contends that lowering the barriers to entry can help sustain economic growth as veteran drivers retire.

OOIDA, however, dismisses the driver shortage as a “thoroughly debunked myth … to promote policies allowing [large fleets] to hire the cheapest labor possible in order to maximize their profits,” the group stated in a letter to FMCSA urging the agency to reject an SDAP extension pending completion of the report to Congress.

OOIDA asserts that flooding the market with younger drivers suppresses wages and contributes to overcapacity, which ultimately lowers freight rates and harms the profitability of independent small businesses.

ATA maintains that “enthusiasm for the program is palpable, the results to date are solid, and the prospect for the future, if the program were to continue, is strong,” the group wrote in its extension request.

But by tethering next steps to the 2026 report, FMCSA may be signaling that safety data, rather than industry pressure, will dictate whether 18-to-20-year-olds will be allowed to remain behind the wheel in interstate commerce.

As outlined in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law of 2021, the SDAP final report to Congress is required to include:

Findings and conclusions resulting from the pilot program, including with respect to technologies or training provided by commercial motor carriers for apprentices as part of the pilot program to successfully improve safety.
An analysis of the safety record of apprentices participating in the pilot program, as compared to other commercial motor vehicle drivers.
The number of drivers that discontinued participation in the apprenticeship program before completion.
A comparison of the safety records of participating drivers before, during, and after probationary periods mandated in the program.
A comparison, for each participating driver, of average on-duty time, driving time, and time spent away from home terminal before, during, and after the SDAP probationary periods.
A recommendation, based on the data collected, regarding whether the level of safety achieved by the pilot program is equivalent to, or greater than, the level of safety for equivalent commercial motor vehicle drivers aged 21 years or older.