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Letter to Hon. Pete Buttigieg, Secretary of Transportation - Daines, Rosendale Fight for Montana Truckers, Urge Biden Admin to Honor Montana's Request to Extend Federal ELDT Deadline

Letter

Date: Feb. 4, 2022
Location: Washington, DC
Issues: Transportation

Dear Secretary Buttigieg:

We write in response to the looming February 7th, 2022 deadline for the Entry Level Driver Training (ELDT) program, which requires all new commercial driver license (CDL) applicants and those applying for certain CDL upgrades to have completed instruction on theory and performance behind the wheel before being able to move on to skills testing with the state. In order to implement these ELDT requirements, the Montana State Legislature and the Montana Department of Justice Motor Vehicle Division (DOJ-MVD) are required to take actions to guarantee the necessary legislation, information technology systems and procedures, and trained personnel are in place to ensure compliance.

The 2021 session of the Montana Legislature was unable to enact legislation that would have required CDLs to comply with federal ELDT requirements. With Montana's legislature meeting every other year, there is currently no opportunity for the necessary legislation to be enacted for at least the next fifteen months, until the next legislative session in January 2023. Because of these circumstances, the State of Montana, DOJMVD, and the Montana Department of Transportation (MDT) will be unable to pass legislation authorizing ELDT training requirements as federally required, and will thus miss the upcoming February 7th deadline. However, MDT and the DOJ-MVD have taken steps to modify information technology systems and procedures to implement the ELDT requirements prior to the deadline.

The State of Montana has taken efforts to ensure compliance with federal ELDT requirements and has asked for an extension or waiver from the upcoming deadline to allow time for the State to enact the required legislation. We strongly support the State's request for a waiver or extension and ask that you grant it as soon as possible so as to prevent further strain on the supply chain and to protect critical trucking jobs throughout the state.

Thank you for considering this important request.

Sincerely,


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