Hoeven Brings FMCSA Administrator to North Dakota, Pressing to Enhance Commercial Driver Training & Workforce Development

FARGO, N.D. – Senator John Hoeven today held a roundtable with Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) Administrator Derek Barrs on efforts to expand the recruitment, training and retention of qualified commercial drivers. Hoeven secured a commitment from Barrs earlier this year to visit North Dakota and hear directly from the state’s trucking industry, commercial driver’s license (CDL) trainers and shippers, including farmers and ranchers, energy producers and manufacturers. During the discussion, the senator stressed the need to identify and advance solutions that help meet the demand for truck operators in North Dakota. To this end, Hoeven outlined efforts to: Support North Dakota workforce programs, including TrainND and CDL training through the North Dakota State College of Science (NDSCS). As FMCSA continues to reform its Entry-Level Driver Training (ELDT) program, Hoeven called on Barrs to continue working with these programs in North Dakota to ensure the efficient training of new CDL operators. Streamline regulations and modernize the agency’s systems to reduce the regulatory burden to help NDSCS, TrainND and others to train more qualified truck drivers to meet this need for the state’s economy. Ensure federal trucking rules work for agriculture and energy, including seasonal hauling needs and the 150 air-mile agricultural exemption. Recruit veterans into commercial trucking through the “Freedom Haulers Initiative” to streamline the pathway for veterans with military driving experience to earn a commercial driver’s license. “Training our own commercial drivers is essential to North Dakota’s agriculture and energy economy,” said Hoeven. “We appreciate Administrator Barrs coming to North Dakota to hear directly from our carriers, ag haulers and workforce leaders. We need to empower programs like TrainND and NDSCS to train more truck drivers and meet the demand for qualified CDL operators so our farmers, ranchers, energy producers and manufacturers can get their goods to market. That means cutting red tape and ensuring federal rules work for our trainers, shippers, truckers and actually help us meet this critical workforce need in North Dakota.” -###-