Why a broken driver training system threatens every mile we drive
Let’s talk about something that doesn’t show up in freight indexes, rate charts, or quarterly earnings but affects every truckload, every shipment, and every life on the road:
Unqualified drivers are slipping through the system and it’s not by accident. It’s by design.
Over the past year, I’ve watched this problem grow from a quiet concern to a full-blown crisis. And yet, it’s still flying under the radar.
The issue? Self-certified driving schools and a lack of real enforcement.
The Illusion of Regulation
In 2022, the FMCSA implemented the Entry-Level Driver Training (ELDT) rule, aiming to standardize the quality of new truck drivers entering the industry. On paper, it was a move in the right direction.
But in practice?
Since ELDT took effect, only four training providers have been removed from the federal registry. Meanwhile, hundreds of complaints have been submitted; many citing schools that cut corners, rush students through, or ignore behind-the-wheel standards altogether. Zero full closures. Not one school permanently shut down for non-compliance.
This isn’t a gap in oversight. This is a lack of oversight.
As Steve Gold of 160 Driving Academy (one of the largest CDL schools in the U.S.) bluntly stated:
“There is absolutely zero enforcement, zero oversight for anybody who wants to open a commercial driving school. It’s putting the American public at risk every day.”
And he’s not wrong.
The Reality on the Ground
Let’s set the record straight: not all driving schools are the problem. Many do an exceptional job preparing students. But when you have self-certified schools; many run out of truck yards or strip mall offices, churning out graduates with minimal road time and barely passing scores, you’re not producing truckers. You’re producing risk.
Some of these students are landing in fleet trucks within days of receiving their CDLs; backing into tight docks with barely 10 hours of real-world driving experience. Others can’t properly conduct a pre-trip inspection, let alone navigate a mountain pass in bad weather.
Now layer that with rising turnover, pressure to fill seats, and a worsening shortage of experienced drivers and we’re putting a band-aid on a bullet hole.
Why Tech Can’t Fix This Alone
Yes, I’m a proponent of technology. I’ve implemented driver scorecards, dash cams, telematics, predictive analytics – the works. And I’ve seen what tech can do to coach, monitor, and even save lives.
But here’s the truth: tech is only as good as the human behind the wheel.
If we’re relying on AI dash cams and GPS alerts to catch what proper training should have prevented, we’ve already lost the plot.
Why This Matters Now More Than Ever
We’re not just talking about theory. We’re seeing it play out in real-time:
- Crash severity is up, particularly involving new drivers.
- Insurance premiums are climbing, driven by nuclear verdicts and poor safety records.
- Shippers are asking tougher questions about safety metrics and carrier hiring standards.
- And public trust in the trucking industry? It’s teetering.
The scary part? Many of these risks are tied not to willful negligence but to systemic failure.
So What’s the Fix?
We don’t need more rules. We need to enforce the ones we already have.
Here’s what I believe we need now, not next quarter:
- FMCSA must take off the blindfold. Open up the registry, publish complaint histories, and enforce real audits on schools.
- Make CDL training auditable like a safety score. Carriers should be able to see where their drivers were trained, how long they were behind the wheel, and how many incidents came out of each school.
- Fleet-level finishing programs need to be mandatory. If you’re hiring from outside your own training ecosystem, invest in your own finishing school model. Teach your expectations, don’t assume someone else did.
- Shippers and brokers need to start asking tougher questions. Who’s training your drivers? What does their track record look like? Good carriers should welcome this scrutiny.
The Bottom Line
This isn’t just a policy failure. It’s a safety failure. A leadership failure. And if we don’t address it now, the cost will show up in claims, lawsuits, lost contracts and lives.
We talk a lot about autonomous trucks. About AI. About the next big leap. But let’s get real: the most pressing issue in trucking right now isn’t futuristic. It’s foundational.
Safe roads start at the schoolyard not just the dashboard.
If you’re in this industry, now’s the time to speak up. To demand accountability. To build partnerships that prioritize safety over shortcuts.
Because in this business, we don’t just move freight. We move families, too.
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