Trucking news and briefs for Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2025:
OOIDA calls on Congress to strengthen CDL training standards
The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association on Oct. 20 sent a letter to leaders in Congress that urges stronger standards for driver training, licensing and qualifications.
“Simply put, far too many individuals are entering the trucking industry without the basic skills necessary to safely operate a commercial vehicle,” OOIDA President Todd Spencer said in the letter. “Additionally, inconsistent and improper licensing processes among states has permitted hundreds of thousands of unqualified drivers to work on our nation’s roads, which has needlessly resulted in numerous fatal crashes.”
Among OOIDA’s requests to Congress was for lawmakers to pass Rep. David Rouzer’s (R-North Carolina) bill that would codify the DOT’s interim final rule related to non-domiciled CDL issuance.
As Congress begins work on the next Highway Bill Reauthorization with the Infrastructure Investment & Jobs Act expiring in September 2026, OOIDA offered the following recommendations for inclusion in the next highway bill:
- Bolster Entry-Level Driver Training (ELDT) standards — OOIDA specifically called for the introduction of mandatory behind-the-wheel hours for new drivers. Current ELDT requirements do not set a required minimum for behind-the-wheel instruction hours and only require that instructors cover the topics included in the behind-the-wheel curriculum and that the trainee is proficient in that curriculum. OOIDA called for a minimum of 30 hours of behind-the-wheel training.
- FMCSA must better utilize the Training Provider Registry (TPR) to remove bad actors — OOIDA called for the agency to “take decisive action to more quickly remove both non-compliant and inadequate training locations from the TPR.”
- Strengthen new-entrant audit requirements — Congress can improve safety by requiring more stringent U.S. DOT oversight of new carrier applicants before granting authority.
- Eliminate unsafe CDL exemptions and waivers — OOIDA voiced its opposition to exemptions and waivers from the requirement that commercial learner’s permit (CLP) holders be accompanied by a CDL holder in the front seat while the CLP holder is operating the vehicle. “This regulation is designed to properly ensure that inexperienced drivers will have sufficient training, instruction, and oversight as they learn the job,” Spencer said in the letter.
- Establish more oversight and accountability for third-party CDL testing providers — With states increasingly utilizing third-party knowledge examiners and skills testers, OOIDA said more oversight of third-party testers is needed “as we continue seeing instances of third-party examiner fraud and bribery.”
Clean Energy launching Freightliner X15N demo truck program
Clean Energy says its demo truck program will give fleets across the country the opportunity to experience first-hand the capabilities of the Freightliner Cascadia Gen 5 equipped with the X15N. Participating carriers will be able to fuel at Clean Energy’s network of RNG stations nationwide, showcasing the ease of integrating low-carbon fueling into their own fleet operations.
Clean Energy Fuels, a provider of renewable natural gas (RNG) for the transportation industry, has announced the launch of its second heavy-duty truck demo program, featuring the 2026 Freightliner Cascadia Gen 5 day cab equipped with the Cummins X15N natural gas engine.
This new program builds on the success of Clean Energy’s first Peterbilt X15N demo truck program, which was launched last year. The demo truck will travel through key freight corridors in California, Texas, Arizona, Illinois, Ohio, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Florida, and other states, allowing large and mid-sized fleets to try and test the engine’s capabilities in real-world conditions. The program is expected to run through at least 2028.
