EMA Urges Congress To Include The DRIVE-Safe Act In Infrastructure Bill

Energy Marketers of America (EMA) along with more than 100 organizations sent a letter to the U.S. House Transportation and Infrastructure and Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation and Committees requesting that the DRIVE-Safe Act (S. 659/H.R. 1745) be included in any infrastructure legislation.

Though 49 states and the District of Columbia allow individuals to obtain a commercial driver’s license (CDL) at the age 18, federal law currently prohibits those operators from moving goods from state to state until they are 21.

The DRIVE-Safe Act reintroduced by Rep. Trey Hollingsworth (R-IN), as well as Sens. John Tester (D-MT) and Todd Young (R-IN), would allow drivers 18 and older to operate across state lines if they meet rigorous training requirements — at least 400 hours of on-duty time with 240 hours of driving time, with an experienced driver training them.

Training would also be restricted to trucks equipped with active braking systems, video monitoring systems and speed limiters set to 65 mph or slower.

Although EMA drivers transporting fuel would not be covered under the DRIVE-Safe Act since drivers must be 21 to qualify for a hazardous materials endorsement (HME), EMA supports the bill because it would expand the number of CDL drivers overall, some of whom may choose to obtain an HME in the future.

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