May 29, 2025
On January 14, 2022, the U.S. Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) launched the Safe Driver Apprentice Pilot (SDAP) Program. This program is part of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) that Congress passed and President Biden signed into law in November 2021.
The SDAP Program allows young drivers of ages 18 to 20 who have commercial driver licenses (CDLs) to undergo extensive training that will let them operate commercial vehicles across interstate lines as 21-year-old truck drivers. This apprenticeship truck driver training program was implemented to address the shortage of truck drivers, caused in part by an aging working population.
According to the American Trucking Association, the U.S. has a shortage of more than 80,000 truck drivers. This gap could increase to 160,000 in 2030. The shortage is causing supply chain disruptions that we continue to feel today. That’s why there’s an urgent need for driver shortage solutions.
A bipartisan lawmaker group in the Senate and House introduced the Developing Responsible Individuals for a Vibrant Economy (DRIVE) Safe Act — a safe pilot program — in 2021. It addressed the driver shortage by overriding the federal law that bans CDL holders below age 21 to operate commercial motor vehicles across state lines. The Department of Transportation (DOT) released the bulletin on launching the driver apprenticeship programs in January 2022.
According to the FMCSA bulletin, only 18- to 20-year-old drivers with a CDL in their state can participate in the pilot program. Apart from being a qualified CDL driver apprentice, the young drivers cannot participate in the program if:
The maximum number of apprentices who can participate in the FMCSA SDAP program is 3,000 for any period. Here are the qualifications for a motor carrier to participate:
The SDAP program consists of two probationary periods of safety training. The first takes 120 hours and the second is a 280-hour probationary period. The young driver apprentice can drive a truck or vehicle that carries goods across state lines in these periods, but only when accompanied by an experienced driver.
The FMCSA considers an experienced driver to be someone who:
During the first probationary period, the young driver should clock at least 120 hours on duty. At least 80 hours of those 120 hours should be spent driving a CMV. The motor carrier training the apprentice should make sure he or she completes the required driving time.
As a result of the training, the apprentice should show competency in:
The second probationary period entails the 280-hour on-duty time of the pilot driver. The apprentice should have no fewer than 160 hours driving a CMV. The fleet motor carrier's second period involves training the driver's competence in:
Fleet or motor carriers participating in the FMCSA SDAP Program must submit monthly data on their apprentice's activity. This report includes important details such as driving and duty hours, off-duty time, breaks, vehicle miles traveled, and safety outcomes.
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