About 7,000 people apply annually to become truck drivers for Pitt Ohio. On average, the fleet only hires 200 of them.
An acceptance rate hovering at 3% reflects more than Pitt Ohio’s strict safety standards, according to Chief Safety and Risk Officer Jeff Mercadante. It is a byproduct of subpar training programs at many truck driver training schools that have opened in recent years.
“We receive applications from many individuals who are eager to work, but far fewer who come to us with the level of training and skill that safe commercial driving requires,” Mercadante told the Pennsylvania Senate Transportation Committee at a recent hearing.
In 2022, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration implemented a new entry-level driver training (ELDT) rule, requiring new CDL applicants to complete a registered course and behind-the-wheel instruction from a provider listed on the national Training Provider Registry. The rule established a curriculum but did not specify a minimum number of training hours or the manner in which behind-the-wheel instruction must be delivered.
This has led to the growth of CDL schools, many of which do not provide the quality and expertise required to produce safe, professional commercial drivers. The Department of Transportation has responded by removing 3,000 providers from the registry and warning 4,000 more that they are at risk of being removed. Agency officials are also conducting in-person inspections at 1,600 training locations.
Mercadante said poor entry-level driver training has forced Pitt Ohio to invest in extended onboarding and remedial instruction. While carriers like Pitt Ohio may devote up to eight weeks and 400 hours of structured instruction to prepare new drivers, many applicants are far less prepared.
Mercadante said he regularly sees applicants whose main training came from simulators, which cannot “replace the judgment, confidence, and muscle memory that only come from actual behind-the-wheel driving under supervision.” Others attended programs focused more on test-day performance rather than developing foundational skills.
“It is not uncommon for us to meet newly licensed drivers who struggle with basic vehicle control, backing maneuvers, or situational awareness, despite having recently passed a skills test,” said Mercadante.
Jeff Burkhardt, driver training chairman of the Commercial Vehicle Training Association, said established training schools support the DOT’s crackdown efforts. Burkhardt is also the senior director of CDL operations at Ancora Education, which operates 18 educational campuses across the United States and provides CDL training at dozens of colleges, community colleges, and companies.
“The quality schools welcome the enforcement activities. It’s enforcing what’s currently on the books and getting rid of the bad actors,” he said.” In an interview with trucknews.com, Burkhardt compared so-called CDL mills “just looking to make a buck” to an education provider like Ancora.
“We develop not just drivers but professional drivers,” Burkhardt said. “We work on soft skills and the concepts of professionalism. We don’t teach people just how to inspect and drive a truck. We teach all those other skills that make them employer-ready.”
Burkhardt suggested these substandard training schools deserve much of the blame for the recent scrutiny of non-English-speaking truck drivers involved in accidents and others placed out of service during inspections for failing to meet English language proficiency (ELP) standards.
He said these incidents show that these entities “don’t care if you can’t speak English, they just know your funding is secure and that’s their primary focus.” Burkhardt stressed that ELP standards have “been on the books for decades,” and the current environment reflects a renewed emphasis on placing a driver out of service for a violation.
As Burkhadt sees it, this is even more reason to seek out a reputable truck driver training school. Interacting with any law enforcement officer on the highway can be stressful, especially for someone whose first language is not English. The ELP standard is more subjective than other out-of-service criteria, and a foreign-born driver could become even more anxious conversing with an officer who speaks with an unfamiliar regional accent.
Receiving a CDL through a high-level program like Ancora’s provides all drivers with the tools and confidence to handle any on-road situation professionally, Burkhardt said.
Liz Vlastos, the Pa.-based regional director of operations for Ancora, said many states offer language assistance to students interested in truck driving or other professions.
In Pennsylvania, there are literacy councils that offer ESL classes, and Ancora can help interested students find these resources. Vlastos also said some innocent truck driving students could end up victims of a school that chooses to suddenly close or is forced to shutter by DOT. She recommended that those students contact local legislators and other nearby driving schools for assistance.
“A good training provider will always do what we can to help with the students who get caught up in this,” Vlastos said.
