New York battles driver shortage by allowing trucking companies to perform CDL testing
Driver shortage this, driver shortage that. Well, New York is doing something about it. New York State Governor. Kathy Hochul, announced that the state will now allow third parties and trucking issues to issue CDLs and perform the required road tests in order to speed up the process and, hopefully, invite more candidates to apply for positions.
Currently, large lots owned by the State University of New York and the New York Racing Association have also been allowed by the state government to be used as testing sites. The 14-day waiting period between the permit and the road test has also been eliminated. Earlier this year in May, the state amended the rules to that those between the ages of 18 and 20 could also apply for Class A CDLs. By widening the employment opportunity, the state hopes to fill the shortages quickly.
OOIDA President Todd Spencer provides insight into the alleged driver shortage in the trucking industry, attributing it to the inability of large fleets to retain drivers rather than a true shortage.