Notice2025-22390
Commercial Driver's License: Wilson Logistics; Application for Renewal of Exemption
Primary source
Metadata and text below are from the Federal Register, a public-domain U.S. government work. Always verify the official published version before relying on it for any legal matter.
Published
December 10, 2025
Issuing agencies
Transportation DepartmentFederal Motor Carrier Safety Administration
Abstract
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) requests public comment on Wilson Logistics' application for renewal of an exemption from the requirement that the holder of a Commercial Learner's Permit (CLP) be accompanied by the holder of a Commercial Driver's License (CDL), seated in the front seat, while the commercial motor vehicle (CMV) is being driven by the CLP holder.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 90 Issue 235 (Wednesday, December 10, 2025)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 90, Number 235 (Wednesday, December 10, 2025)]
[Notices]
[Pages 57274-57275]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2025-22390]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration
[Docket No. FMCSA-2019-0174]
Commercial Driver's License: Wilson Logistics; Application for
Renewal of Exemption
AGENCY: Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), Department
of Transportation (DOT).
ACTION: Notice of application for exemption renewal; request for
comments.
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SUMMARY: The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA)
requests public comment on Wilson Logistics' application for renewal of
an exemption from the requirement that the holder of a Commercial
Learner's Permit (CLP) be accompanied by the holder of a Commercial
Driver's License (CDL), seated in the front seat, while the commercial
motor vehicle (CMV) is being driven by the CLP holder.
DATES: Comments must be received on or before January 9, 2026.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments identified by Docket Number FMCSA-
2019-0174 by any of the following methods:
<bullet> Federal eRulemaking Portal: <a href="http://www.regulations.gov">www.regulations.gov</a>. See the
Public Participation and Request for Comments section below for further
information.
<bullet> Mail: Dockets Operations, U.S. Department of
Transportation, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, West Building, Ground Floor,
Washington, DC 20590-0001.
<bullet> Hand Delivery or Courier: 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, West
Building, Ground Floor, Washington, DC 20590-0001, between 9 a.m. and 5
p.m., Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays.
<bullet> Fax: (202) 493-2251.
Each submission must include the Agency name and the docket number
(FMCSA-2019-0174) for this notice. Note that DOT posts all comments
received without change to <a href="http://www.regulations.gov">www.regulations.gov</a>, including any personal
information included in a comment. Please see the Privacy Act heading
below.
Privacy Act: In accordance with 49 U.S.C. 31315(b), DOT solicits
comments from the public to better inform its exemption process. DOT
posts these comments, including any personal information the commenter
provides, to <a href="http://www.regulations.gov">www.regulations.gov</a>, as described in the system of records
notice DOT/ALL-14 FDMS (Federal Docket Management System (FDMS)), which
can be reviewed at <a href="https://www.transportation.gov/individuals/privacy/privacy-act-system-records-notices">https://www.transportation.gov/individuals/privacy/privacy-act-system-records-notices</a>. The comments are posted without
edit and are searchable by the name of the submitter.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Richard Clemente, Driver and
Carrier Operations Division; Office of Carrier, Driver and Vehicle
Safety Standards, FMCSA; (771) 216-2436; or <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#60120903080112044e030c050d050e140520040f144e070f16"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="45372c262d2437216b26292028202b312005212a316b222a33">[email protected]</span></a>.
If you have questions on viewing or submitting material to the docket,
contact Dockets Operations at (202) 366-9826.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Public Participation and Request for Comments
FMCSA encourages you to participate by submitting comments and
related materials.
A. Submitting Comments
If you submit a comment, please include the docket number for this
notice (FMCSA-2019-0174), indicate the specific section of this
document to which the comment applies, and provide a reason for your
suggestions or recommendations. You may submit your comments and
material online or by fax, mail, or hand delivery, but please use only
one of these means. FMCSA recommends that you include your name and a
mailing address, an email address, or a phone number in the body of
your document so the Agency can contact you if it has questions
regarding your submission.
To submit your comment online, go to <a href="https://www.regulations.gov/docket/FMCSA-2019-0174/document">https://www.regulations.gov/docket/FMCSA-2019-0174/document</a>, click on this notice, click
``Comment,'' and type your comment into the text box on the following
screen.
If you submit your comments by mail or hand delivery, submit them
in an unbound format, no larger than 8\1/2\ by 11 inches, suitable for
copying and electronic filing.
FMCSA will consider all comments and material received during the
comment period. Comments received after the comment closing date will
be filed in the public docket and will be considered to the extent
practicable.
B. Confidential Business Information (CBI)
CBI is commercial or financial information that is both customarily
and actually treated as private by its owner. Under the Freedom of
Information Act (5 U.S.C. 552), CBI is exempt from public disclosure.
If your comments responsive to the notice contain commercial or
financial information that is customarily treated as private, that you
actually treat as private, and that is relevant or responsive to the
notice, it is important that you clearly designate the submitted
comments as CBI. Please mark each page of your submission that
constitutes CBI as ``PROPIN'' to indicate it contains proprietary
information. FMCSA will treat such marked submissions as confidential
under the Freedom of Information Act, and they will not be placed in
the public docket of the notice. Submissions containing CBI should be
sent to Brian Dahlin Chief, Regulatory Evaluation Division, Office of
Policy, FMCSA, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, Washington, DC 20590-0001 or
via email at <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#9efcecf7fff0b0f9b0fafff6f2f7f0defaf1eab0f9f1e8"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="6c0e1e050d02420b42080d040005022c080318420b031a">[email protected]</span></a>. At this time, you need not send a
duplicate hardcopy of your electronic CBI submissions to FMCSA
headquarters. Any comments FMCSA receives not specifically designated
as CBI will be placed in the public docket for this notice.
C. Viewing Comments and Documents
To view comments, as well as any documents mentioned in this
preamble as being available in the docket, go to <a href="https://www.regulations.gov">https://www.regulations.gov</a>, insert FMCSA-2019-0174 in the keyword box, select
the document tab and choose the document to review. To view comments,
click this notice, then click ``Browse Comments.'' If you do not have
access to the internet, you may view the docket by visiting Docket
Operations on the ground floor of the DOT West Building, 1200 New
Jersey Avenue SE, Washington, DC 20590--0001, between 9 a.m. and 5
p.m., ET Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays. To be sure
someone is there to help you, please call (202) 366-9317 or (202) 366-
9826 before visiting Dockets Operations.
II. Legal Basis
FMCSA has authority under 49 U.S.C. 31136(e) and 31315(b) to grant
exemptions from the Federal Motor
[[Page 57275]]
Carrier Safety Regulations. FMCSA must publish a notice of each
exemption request in the Federal Register (49 CFR 381.315(a)). The
Agency must provide the public an opportunity to inspect the
information relevant to the application, including the applicant's
safety analysis. The Agency must provide an opportunity for public
comment on the request.
The Agency reviews the application, safety analyses, and public
comments submitted and determines whether granting the exemption would
likely achieve a level of safety equivalent to, or greater than, the
level that would be achieved absent such exemption, pursuant to the
standard set forth in 49 U.S.C. 31315(b)(1). The Agency must publish
its decision in the Federal Register (49 CFR 381.315(b)). If granted,
the notice will identify the regulatory provision from which the
applicant will be exempt, the effective period, and all terms and
conditions of the exemption (49 CFR 381.315(c)(1)). If the exemption is
denied, the notice will explain the reason for the denial (49 CFR
381.315(c)(2)). The exemption may be renewed (49 CFR 381.300(b)).
III. Applicant's Request
Current Regulatory Requirements
The Agency's CDL regulations in 49 CFR 383.25(a)(1) require that a
CLP holder always be accompanied by the holder of a valid CDL for the
group (e.g., Group A or B) and with any endorsement(s) necessary to
operate the CMV. The CDL holder must be physically present in the front
seat of the vehicle next to the CLP holder or, in the case of a
passenger vehicle, directly behind or in the first row behind the
driver and must have the CLP holder under observation and direct
supervision.
Applicant's Request
Wilson Logistics seeks a renewal of its exemption from the
provision in 49 CFR 383.25(a)(1), which FMCSA originally granted on
February 23, 2021, and remains in effect through February 23, 2026 [86
FR 11050]. Wilson Logistics is a nationwide motor carrier, with its own
pre-apprentice CDL training program. It is also a registered training
provider and a certified third-party CDL tester in the State of
Missouri. Wilson Logistics administers the CDL test for prospective
Wilson Logistics driver employees (called ``pre-apprentices'') that
have completed its CDL training program. Since the initial granting of
its exemption in 2021, the applicant has trained 1,381 prospective
driver employees and successfully tested and approved 1,264 or 91.5% of
these individuals. The applicant describes its program as a company-
sponsored, hands-on, on-the-job, pre-apprentice CDL training program
accessible only to Wilson Logistics prospective driver employees. While
participating in the driver training, the pre-apprentices are not
employed by Wilson Logistics. Once pre-apprentices obtain their CDL,
they receive an offer of employment from Wilson Logistics.
Applicant's Equivalent Level of Safety
The applicant believes its safety data shows that its process
works, and that it has maintained an equivalent level of safety while
operating under the exemption. During the company's three-week training
program, CLP holders learn how to safely operate a CMV, including basic
backing maneuvers, and are subsequently transitioned to a minimum of
two weeks driving over-the-road while a CDL instructor is observing and
providing feedback from the passenger seat. The instructor supervises
while instructing all non-driving aspects of the job, including pre-
and post-trip inspections, coupling and uncoupling, trip planning, and
backing. Wilson Logistics CLP holders deliver actual loads to real
customers on the Nation's highways in all types of conditions and
traffic patterns. The applicant believes that providing hands-on,
highly supervised training at a one-on-one level of instructor to
trainee is the best practice.
As a third-party tester, Wilson Logistics's four CDL examiners are
continuously examined by the State of Missouri throughout the year for
compliance. Wilson Logistics's testing policy permits a pre-apprentice
to take the CDL skills test no more than twice. If a pre-apprentice
fails the CDL test the first time, he or she receives an additional 3
to 4 days of training, before attempting to take the CDL skills test
again. If a pre-apprentice fails twice, then he or she is disqualified
from Wilson's pre-apprenticeship program. According to Wilson
Logistics, pre-apprentices have a 95% first-time pass rate.
Once the pre-apprentice has passed the test, a Wilson Logistics
trainer accompanies the CLP holder for the first 30,000 miles. For the
first 10,000 miles the trainer is in the front passenger seat of the
CMV; during the remaining 20,000 miles the trainer is in the CMV,
although not necessarily in the front seat of the vehicle. Trainers
also accompany the CLP holders when they return to their State of
Domicile to receive their CDL after having passed the test.
Wilson Logistics states that it ensures an equivalent level of
safety by verifying that no applicant will ever operate its CMVs
without passing the State CDL exam administered by Wilson Logistics as
a third-party tester and by requiring drivers to keep a copy of their
passing CDL exam score, permit and license in their possession.
A copy of the Wilson Logistics application for exemption is
available for review in the docket for this notice.
IV. Request for Comments
In accordance with 49 U.S.C. 31315(b), FMCSA requests public
comment from all interested persons on the Wilson Logistics application
for an exemption from the requirement in 49 CFR 383.25(a)(1), which
requires a CLP holder always be accompanied by the holder of a valid
CDL in the front seat of the CMV who has the proper CDL group and
endorsement(s) necessary to operate the vehicle. All comments received
before the close of business on the comment closing date will be
considered and will be available for examination in the docket at the
location listed under the Addresses section of this notice. Comments
received after the comment closing date will be filed in the public
docket and will be considered to the extent practicable. In addition to
late comments, FMCSA will also continue to file, in the public docket,
relevant information that becomes available after the comment closing
date. Interested persons should continue to examine the public docket
for new material.
Larry W. Minor,
Associate Administrator of Policy.
[FR Doc. 2025-22390 Filed 12-9-25; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-EX-P
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This is legal information, not legal advice. Laws vary by jurisdiction and change frequently. Always verify current law with official sources and consult a licensed attorney in your jurisdiction for advice on your specific situation.