Well, it's official. About a year and a half into it, the FMCSA's much-heralded Safe Driver Apprenticeship Pilot Program for under-21 interstate CDL drivers is sputtering on the runway. According to agency public affairs rep Cicely Waters, just “16 apprentice drivers have progressed to the unsupervised stage," past the probationary periods when they're required to be accompanied by a more experienced professional.
"Overall," she added, "we have received 36 apprentice driver applications to the pilot program.” That's it. 36. In almost two years.
What went wrong?
Shanna Gray, South Dakota-based truck owner and safety consultant, pins the problem on insurance, echoing Overdrive 2021 Small Fleet Champ Jason Cowan's considered thoughts about the insurance barrier for under-21 drivers at smaller fleets.
“The real hurdle is insurance," Gray said. "We have a lot of 18-year-olds out here who have grown up on farms and have been around equipment all their lives. They would do just fine in the program. But during the South Dakota Safety Council meeting we [recently] met with a rep from Great West Casualty, and the insurance situation is pretty prohibitive. It can be done, but it’s all based on safety rating, CSA score and claims.
"We heard of this one carrier in Wisconsin which had been approved by Great West.”
With so few apprentices having made it to the solo driver stage, and many, if not most, of the carriers who originally applied to participate in the SDAP program no longer actively recruiting for it, I wanted to have a conversation with a young driver who actually made it through, someone who is out there right now making a living over the road.
