Safe Driver Apprenticeship Pilot Program

This is a request for a 3-year extension of an already approved ICR, which was an emergency request approved by OMB on April 4, 2024, and expires on September 30, 2024. There are no changes in the estimated burden hours or costs for this ICR. The collection of information is associated with the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) Section 23022 requirement to provide Congress a recommendation regarding whether the level of safety achieved by the SDAP program is equivalent to, or greater than, the level of safety for equivalent commercial motor vehicle (CMV) drivers aged 21 years or older. The agency is required to collect (1) data relating to any safety incident involving an apprentice participating in the Apprentice Pilot Program; (2) data relating to any safety incident involving a driver under the age of 21 operating a commercial motor vehicle in intrastate commerce; and (3) such other data relating to the safety of Apprentice Pilot Program participants aged 18 to 20 years operating in interstate commerce as the Secretary determines to be necessary. Information collection tools consist of (1) applications from motor carriers interested in participating in the apprentice pilot program, (2) driver information and consent forms for apprentice drivers, (3) driver information and consent forms for experienced drivers, (4) safety benchmark certifications participating carriers complete for each apprentice, and (5) monthly data submissions from participating motor carriers. The information collection (IC) tools consist of six ICs: IC-1, applications from motor carriers interested in participating in the SDAP program;IC-2, driver information and consent forms for apprentice drivers;IC-3, driver information and consent forms for experienced drivers;IC-4, safety benchmark certifications participating carriers complete for each apprentice; IC-5a, monthly data submissions; and IC-5b, miscellaneous monthly data submissions from participating motor carriers. The data collected will be used to report: 1)The findings and conclusions on the ability of technologies or training provided to apprentices as part of the pilot program to successfully improve safety; 2)An analysis of the safety record of participating apprentices as compared to other CMV drivers; 3)The number of drivers that discontinued participation in the apprenticeship program before completion; 4)A comparison of the safety records of participating drivers before, during, and after each probationary period; and 5)A comparison of each participating driver’s average on-duty time, driving time, and time spent away from home terminal before, during, and after each probationary period. FMCSA will monitor the monthly data being reported by the motor carriers and will identify drivers or carriers that may pose a risk to public safety. It is a necessary feature for FMCSA to comply with 49 CFR 381.505, which requires development of a monitoring plan to ensure adequate safeguards to protect the health and safety of pilot program participants and the general public. Knowing that a driver or carrier was removed from the SDAP program for safety reasons will help FMCSA minimize bias in the final data analysis. The results of the SDAP program will be documented in a technical report that will be delivered to and maintained by FMCSA. This report will be made available to the public on the FMCSA Web site, at www.fmcsa.dot.gov. The estimated annual burden for all respondents is 56,448 hours at a cost of $2,352,675.70.

The latest form for Safe Driver Apprenticeship Pilot Program expires 2028-03-31 and can be found here.

IC-1: Motor Carrier Application

Federal Enterprise Architecture: Transportation - Ground Transportation

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