The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration will award $44 million in grants to improve the process of obtaining a CDL, the Department of Transportation announced Sept. 14.
The Commercial Driver’s License Program Implementation grants to states and other entities operating national CDL programs are intended to expedite license issuance and renewal and ensure the sharing of driver disqualification information among states.
“With these grants, we are helping states bring more well-trained drivers into this essential field, strengthening our supply chains for years to come,” Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in a statement.
The money aims to reduce skills testing delays by helping states hire more workers and fix training center shortages. Awards also seek to improve CDL reporting, upgrading records maintenance and training CDL skills test examiners, according to the Transportation Department.
Projects receiving funding are helping hire state personnel to reduce skills testing delays caused by insufficient staffing, as well as improving CDL reporting, upgrading records maintenance and training CDL skills test examiners, according to the Transportation Department.
The federal money will also go toward implementing regulatory safety requirements and developing human trafficking outreach and education materials for truck drivers.
Another $3 million from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law will be awarded via Commercial Motor Vehicle Operator Safety Training grants to increase recipients’ capacity to train new drivers.
“This essential funding provided through the CMVOST grant program will help expand and diversify the pool of trained drivers, with an important focus on attracting Veterans and individuals from underserved and refugee communities,” FMCSA Administrator Robin Hutcheson said in a statement.
