High school asks FMCSA to allow 17 year olds to obtain commercial learner’s permits

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) is considering an exemption request from a high school in Washington state that would lower the age requirement for obtaining a commercial learner’s permit (CLP). In a notice to be published in the Federal Register on May 17, the FMCSA announced it will consider a rule exemption request from Connell High School (CHS) located in Connell, Washington. While current federal requirements set the age requirement for obtaining a CLP at 18 years, CHS is asking for FMCSA approval for students enrolled in the Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) Program to obtain a CLP at the age of 17 and receive 180 hours of classroom, field, and drive time instruction before obtaining a CDL at the age of 18. The students in the school district are 70% minority and 70% economically disadvantaged. School officials say that the school district serves a rural community “with a decreasing workforce but with an increasing agriculture and transportation demand.” CHS says that the CLP age exemption would allow students to obtain a CDL and enter the workforce right away after graduation, giving them access to stable, well-paying jobs. This, in turn, would also have a positive impact on the community and “alleviate the current commercial driver shortage,” the school says. CHS points to the state of Maine, which has a similar program for under 18 year old commercial driving students. The school also points out that lowering the required age for a CLP would allow them to provide a full school year’s worth of classroom, field, and driving instruction before the students apply to obtain a CDL at age 18. The FMCSA will accept public comment on the exemption request for 30 days following publication in the Federal Register.