Weekly Legislative Update
September 25, 2023

DRIVE Safe Update

We want to provide a brief update on the state of play on the DRIVE Safe Integrity Act, T-HUD Appropriations riders, the latest Safe Driver pilot program numbers, and a look ahead. 

As you know, during the spring T&I supply chain mark-up, Rep. Crawford’s DRIVE Safe Integrity Act was pulled by the Committee before votes were held. This was due in part to Rep. Perry’s concern about the inclusion of speed limiters as one of the technologies required in the 18- to 20-year-old pilot program, despite his prior co-sponsorship and support for the DRIVE Safe legislation that included this technology.

With this reality, we shifted gears and secured provisions in both the House and Senate T-HUD Appropriations bills that prohibit funds from being used to require DOL registered apprenticeships and inward facing cameras in order to participate in the Safe Driver pilot program. 

At this point, we are reminding appropriators, leadership, and past congressional champions of the importance of these provisions and the need to include them in any final appropriations package. We encourage you to reach out and express support as well.

On the Safe Driver pilot program, we received the latest participation statistics from FMCSA, which are pasted below this email. Takeaways from the data are that participation remains inadequate, and DOT/FMCSA need to be pressed to do more to promote—and increase—participation.                           

Should the appropriations language become law, we will reset our legislative strategy for DRIVE Safe, and work to make the younger driver apprenticeship program permanent.

Current Enrollment/Participation Levels:

Motor Carriers:

Fully Approved Carriers: 33

Carriers with no drivers: 9

Carriers with approved experienced drivers but no approved apprentices: 13

Carriers with approved experienced and apprentice drivers: 11

Carriers pre-qualified, but still awaiting Registered Apprenticeship approval: 34

Disapproved Carriers: 34

Experienced Drivers:

54 enrolled

1 disapproved

Currently Participating Apprentices:

17 currently enrolled

8 currently enrolled in the first probationary period

1 currently enrolled in the second probationary period

8 currently enrolled and graduated from the probationary periods

0 disapproved

Reminder: Comment Period Has Begun for Proposed Rule to Update the Executive, Administrative and Professional Regulation

The Federal Register published the U.S. Department of Labor’s Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to Define and Delimit the Exemptions for Executive, Administrative, Professional, Outside Sales, and Computer Employees. 

The public comment period for this proposal has begun and will continue until November 7, 2023. 

Workers, employers and other interested stakeholders are encouraged to provide comments on this proposal.

?You can find instructions on how to comment on regulations.gov.

For more information on the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, please visit dol.gov/OT, contact the Wage and Hour Division or call toll-free at 1-866-4US-WAGE (487-9243).