Notice2026-01679
Qualifications of Drivers: Minimum Age for Drivers; American Trucking Associations; Application for Exemption
Primary source
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Published
January 28, 2026
Issuing agencies
Transportation DepartmentFederal Motor Carrier Safety Administration
Abstract
FMCSA requests public comment on the application of the American Trucking Associations (ATA) for a 5-year exemption to allow motor carriers that previously participated in the Agency's Safe Driver Apprenticeship Pilot (SDAP) program, which ended on November 7, 2025, to continue onboarding and training drivers under the age of 21.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 91 Issue 18 (Wednesday, January 28, 2026)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 91, Number 18 (Wednesday, January 28, 2026)]
[Notices]
[Pages 3771-3773]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2026-01679]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration
[Docket No. FMCSA-2025-1117]
Qualifications of Drivers: Minimum Age for Drivers; American
Trucking Associations; Application for Exemption
AGENCY: Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), Department
of Transportation (DOT).
ACTION: Notice of application for exemption; request for comments.
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SUMMARY: FMCSA requests public comment on the application of the
American Trucking Associations (ATA) for a 5-year exemption to allow
motor carriers that previously participated in the Agency's Safe Driver
Apprenticeship Pilot (SDAP) program, which ended on November 7, 2025,
to continue onboarding and training drivers under the age of 21.
DATES: Comments must be received on or before February 27, 2026.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments identified by Docket Number FMCSA-
2025-1117 by any of the following methods:
[[Page 3772]]
<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-2025-1117) 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, FMCSA Driver and
Carrier Operations Division; Office of Carrier, Driver and Vehicle
Safety Standards, (771) 216-2436; <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#ddafb4beb5bcafb9f3beb1b8b0b8b3a9b89db9b2a9f3bab2ab"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="92e0fbf1faf3e0f6bcf1fef7fff7fce6f7d2f6fde6bcf5fde4">[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-2025-1117), 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-2025-1117/document">https://www.regulations.gov/docket/FMCSA-2025-1117/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#e684948f8788c881c882878e8a8f88a6828992c8818990"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="f597879c949bdb92db91949d999c9bb5919a81db929a83">[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-2025-1117 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 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
Under 49 CFR 391.11(b)(1), ``Except as provided in subpart G of
this part, a person is qualified to drive a motor vehicle if he/she--
(1) Is at least 21 years old.''
Under 49 U.S.C. 31315(c)(2)(A) and 49 CFR 381.505(b)(1), a pilot
program is limited to a maximum of 3 years.
FMCSA announced its SDAP program on January 14, 2022 (87 FR 2477).
FMCSA began data collection on apprentice drivers in November 2022. The
SDAP program concluded on November 7, 2025.
Applicant's Request
ATA requests a five-year exemption from 49 CFR 391.11(b)(1) to
allow motor
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carriers that had been approved to participate in FMCSA's SDAP program
to continue onboarding and training 18- to 20-year-old apprentice
drivers after the November 7, 2025 expiration of the SDAP program. ATA
states that FMCSA's SDAP program quarterly reports demonstrate positive
safety outcomes, including millions of miles driven by program
participants without reportable crashes. ATA believes that continuing
the regulatory relief under an exemption would create minimal
administrative burdens for FMCSA or participating motor carriers.
ATA's request outlines the history of prior efforts to evaluate
younger drivers for interstate CMV operations, including the Truckload
Carriers Associations' petition for a younger-driver pilot program,
which FMCSA denied in 2003 due to insufficient data, and the Under-21
Military Pilot Program established pursuant to Sec. 5404 of the Fixing
America's Surface Transportation Act.\1\
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\1\ Public Law 114-94 (Dec. 4, 2015), 129 Stat. 1312, 49 U.S.C.
31315 note.
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Applicant's Equivalent Level of Safety
ATA contends that the SDAP program has now generated safety data
and demonstrated effective oversight, as FMCSA has exercised its
authority to remove carriers or participants when necessary to ensure
safety. ATA believes that because FMCSA did not end the pilot program
early, the program met an equivalent level of safety to existing
regulations. Although ATA's application for exemption states that FMCSA
``has not acted to end the pilot program,'' FMCSA clarifies that the
SDAP program concluded on November 7, 2025, as required by statute.
A copy of ATA's 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 ATA's application for a five-
year exemption from 49 CFR 391.11(b)(1) to allow 18- to 20-year-old
apprentice drivers to continue to be onboarded and trained by motor
carriers that were approved to participate in the SDAP program, which
ended on November 7, 2025. 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. 2026-01679 Filed 1-27-26; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-EX-P
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