Overdrive

March 2017 | Overdrive | 19 A recent push by New Jersey to allow commercial driver's license applicants to take their state skills test through third-party providers aims to reduce the delay prospective truckers encounter. It's a problem many states face due mostly to a lack of resources to hire qualified examiners. A bill passed by the New Jersey Legislature in No- vember and signed into law by Gov. Chris Christie last month establishes a pilot pro- gram for third-party vendors to provide CDL skills tests in lieu of state officers. The pro- gram will be limited at first to three designated third-party providers. The delay in CDL skills tests is a prominent lobbying agenda item for the Com- mercial Vehicle Trainers Association, said Don Lefeve, CVTA president. It's not uncommon for CDL appli- cants to complete a training program and then have to wait two or three months to take a skills test. "When someone exits training, their skills are at their height," Lefeve said. "If they're delayed, their skills are going to deteriorate." Deterioration of skills could lead to failed tests and a waste of resources for schools, as well as carriers that may have newly trained drivers hired but unable to work. Lefeve said many states don't have the money or ability to hire qualified examiners, and many states also bar third-party vendors. Lefeve's CVTA hopes to push Con- gress to address the issue. In addition to finding a way to close the gap between training and testing, the group hopes to lobby lawmakers to establish better uniformity for the tests among states. – James Jaillet You drive because your family depends on you. You depend on Omnitracs to keep your wheels on the road, put more money in your pocket and, most importantly, help you get home safely. Learn how our productivity and compliance solutions keep driving you forward. Visit www.omnitracs.com/keepdriving or call 800.348.7227. Untitled-61 1 2/13/17 2:27 PM Lag growing between CDL training, skills test IDAHO'S INKOM point of entry scale on I-15 now has weigh-in-mo- tion/automatic vehicle identification systems that allow trucks that meet size and weight requirements to bypass the scale.

• Cover
• Readers: Behind-the-wheel training minimum critical.
• Pulse: FMCSA backpedals on safety proposal.
• The ELD mandate and the “House Freedom Caucus.”
• Dry bulk for the long haul.
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• Lawsuit opposes Trump order to reduce regs.
• Industry united against safety rating change.
• Court to review border policy.
• C.R. England plans to appeal fraud ruling.
• Lag growing between CDL training, skills test.
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• Reader Rigs: ’07 W900L an ice cream truck; ’14 389 a “Green Monster”; ’09 W900L a million-miler.
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• Gear Guide: Trailer brake drum, wheels, clutches, more.
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• COVER STORY: Sleight of truck | Imagine arriving at a gate and presenting papers to pick up a load. The man in the guard shack looks confused and says you’ve already been there and that the load is gone. Heists involving false identity and other fraud ar
• Dodging the middleman: While no one service will be “Uber for all” in the fragmented brokerage market, on-demand load-matching services are seeing some success at circumventing traditional brokers and promising gains for owner-operators in rates, freight
• $25,000 awaits top owner-operator: Three owner-operators – Gary Buchs, Philip Keith and Kevin Kocmich – are finalists for the 2016 Owner-Operator of the Year award, produced by the Truckload Carriers Association and Overdrive.
• Maintaining your wheels: A pre-trip inspection for cracks and rust is usually sufficient for maintenance of aluminum and steel wheels. A few other best practices, though, can almost ensure that wheels last as long as your truck.