Legislature(2023 - 2024)BARNES 124
04/18/2023 01:00 PM House TRANSPORTATION
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| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| HB124 | |
| Confirmation Hearing(s): Board of Marine Pilots | |
| HB128 | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
| + | TELECONFERENCED | ||
| *+ | HB 124 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| += | HB 128 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| + | TELECONFERENCED |
HB 124-LICENSE REQUIREMENTS: COMM. DRIVERS
1:04:15 PM
CHAIR MCCABE announced that the first order of business would be
HOUSE BILL NO. 124, "An Act relating to commercial motor vehicle
drivers' license requirements; and providing for an effective
date."
1:05:10 PM
REPRESENTATIVE JULIE COULOMBE, Alaska State Legislature, as
prime sponsor, presented HB 124. She paraphrased the sponsor
statement [included in the committee packet], which read as
follows [original punctuation provided]:
House Bill 124 repeals the requirement in AS
28.33.100(a)(2) that requires applicants for a
Commercial Driver's License (CDL) to hold a regular
Alaska driver's license for at least one year before
they can begin the process of obtaining a CDL.
This requirement was enacted in 1985 before state and
federal regulators modernized the training and
licensing standards for CDLs. Today, an individual
seeking a CDL has an extensive training and testing
process to go through to ensure they are ready to
safely drive commercial vehicles.
On the state level, a prospective commercial driver
must pass a written test at the DMV to obtain a CDL
Learners Permit and then a driving test to obtain
their full license. Beginning in February 2022,
federally mandated Entry Level Driver Training (ELDT)
requirements must also be met during the CDL Learner's
Permit stage. ELDT requires comprehensive theory
testing and a driving evaluation process to ensure
that CDL applicants possess the necessary skills and
knowledge to operate commercial vehicles safely and
efficiently. With these new safety and training
standards, the one-year regular driver's license
requirement now only serves as a barrier to workforce
development.
The Alaska Trucking Association estimates that Alaska
is about 500 truck drivers short, presenting a risk
both to food security and major new development
projects in industries like construction, mining, oil
and gas, etc. For young people in urban areas, getting
a driver's license at 16 is common. However, for
people coming from rural communities, a growing number
of urban youth waiting to get their license, and
newcomers to the county (including Ukrainian
refugees), the year-long wait to start the licensing
process often prevents the trucking industry from
being a viable career option.
Repealing the one-year regular driver's license
requirement aligns Alaska's CDL requirements with
modern federal standards and removes a barrier to a
workforce that, although relatively small, is ready
and willing. With the passage of HB 124, Alaska will
better be able to meet our commercial vehicle needs
and empower Alaskans to pursue meaningful employment
critical to our state."
1:08:43 PM
DANIEL ROBINS, Staff, Representative Julie Coulombe, on behalf
of Representative Coulombe, prime sponsor, provided the
sectional analysis for HB 124 [included in the committee
packet], which read as follows [original punctuation provided]:
Sec 1. Amends AS 28.33.100(a) to remove subsection
(2) which requires an applicant for a Commercial
Driver's License to have held a regular driver's
license for at least one year before beginning the CDL
certification process.
Sec 2. Sets January 20, 2024, effective date.
1:10:26 PM
REPRESENTATIVE STUTES asked how long commercial driver's license
(CDL) training is.
MR. ROBINS answered that getting a permit and a CDL takes about
three to four weeks. In response to a follow-up question, he
clarified that an applicant must first get a permit CDL before
acquiring a CDL.
1:11:43 PM
JOE MICHEL, Executive Director, Alaska Trucking Association
(ATA), stated ATA fully supports HB 124. He said the passage of
HB 124 would eliminate one of many barriers to entry for people
to begin a career in trucking and transportation. He said that
in February 2022, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety
Administration (FMCSA) implemented its entry level driver
training (ELDT) program, establishing "minimum training
requirements for entry-level commercial motor vehicle
operators." He shared that this program came from years of
engagement with safety organizations, industry, and other
stakeholders, and provides a checklist of over 100 different
skill, inspection, and knowledge requirements applicants must
prove proficient in before they are allowed to test for a CDL.
Considering these new requirements, he said that the association
views holding a regular driver's license for a calendar year as
a redundant barrier to entry into the industry.
MR. MICHEL told members to consider that potential truck drivers
undergo four skill tests before being out on Alaska roads: a
driving test by the Division of Motor Vehicles (DMV) to obtain a
regular driver's license; a test during the ELDT program,
administered by a registered training provider; the CDL test
administered by the DMV; and a competency test administered by
the companies that hire the drivers. He stated that ATA feels
these checkpoints are adequate to ensure safety. He pointed out
that there is a small but growing group of truck drivers from
outside of the United States that have chosen to make Alaska
their home, who are qualified and want to work at their chosen
profession but must wait a year before they can earn for their
families and themselves. He said these newcomers to Alaska
still would have to take ELDT and prove their skill set. He
commented that HB 124 would allow these potential drivers a
chance to earn a living sooner than under current laws, and he
reiterated that the ATA encourages the passage of HB 124.
1:14:22 PM
REPRESENTATIVE MINA asked Mr. Michel what the training standards
are in other states, and if others also have one-year
requirements.
MR. MICHEL answered that it is a "patchwork" in other states.
He elaborated that there are states that do not have a one-year
driver's license requirement, and he shared that Ukrainian
refugees who came to Alaska had moved to Pennsylvania since they
were unaware of the requirement.
REPRESENTATIVE MINA inquired about seasonal truck drivers.
MR. MICHEL said there are many drivers that do seasonal work,
whether it be doing long hauls in the Lower 48 and then coming
to Alaska, or working during oil season and taking summers off,
as examples.
REPRESENTATIVE MINA, noting that seasonal workers hold CDLs,
asked how the one-year Alaska license requirement has impacted
non-residents who are working in the state as truckers.
MR. MICHEL answered that 95 percent of regulations around
trucking are done on a national level, thus, the CDL is
transferrable throughout the nation.
1:16:46 PM
MR. MICHEL, in response to Representative Stutes, repeated the
four skills test steps he had previously outlined.
1:18:22 PM
JOEY CRUM, President and CEO, Northern Industrial Training
(NIT), explained NIT trains people to enter the workforce, and
its workforce development specialists work with employers and
community organizations to determine what needs to be done to
prepare a local workforce for opportunity. He said that NIT's
strongest program trains people to drive commercial vehicles,
and that people statewide come to NIT's various facilities in
Alaska. He shared that HB 124 would remove a barrier in
workforce flow, and that NIT has seen young people attempt to
attain a CDL but lose interest due to current statute.
MR. CRUM opined that HB 124 is necessary because it would help
people by removing an outdated barrier that requires people to
test for a regular driver's license before being able to test
for a CDL. He said that new federal rules that were established
on 2/7/22 make the current statute moot. He explained that the
new regulations, ELDT, require additional levels of training and
screening. He said the process of getting a commercial
learner's permit requires a person to pass written exams at the
DMV and have a Department of Transportation & Public Facilities
(DOT&PF) physical conducted. After being issued the learner's
permit, the person must then pass written exams proctored by a
federally registered training provider and undergo a practical
performance evaluation by a federally registered training
provider. The last step is to perform the road test via either
the DMV or one of its approved proctors. He said that knowledge
and practical performance are "baked into the process of getting
a CDL." He noted that vehicles, like a 16-passenger van for
example, or pickups hauling hazardous materials (HAZMAT),
require a CDL to drive. He said HB 124 needs to be approved in
order to clear unnecessary barriers keeping people from
employment.
1:22:07 PM
CHAIR MCCABE announced that HB 124 was held over.
| Document Name | Date/Time | Subjects |
|---|---|---|
| HB 124 Reseach EconomicPotential_of_AKs_Mining.pdf |
HTRA 4/18/2023 1:00:00 PM HTRA 4/20/2023 1:00:00 PM |
HB 124 |
| HB 124 Research Alaska Public Media Article 4.11.2023.pdf |
HTRA 4/18/2023 1:00:00 PM HTRA 4/20/2023 1:00:00 PM |
HB 124 |
| HB 124 Sectional Analysis version A.pdf |
HTRA 4/18/2023 1:00:00 PM HTRA 4/20/2023 1:00:00 PM |
HB 124 |
| HB 124 Sponsor Statement version A.pdf |
HTRA 4/18/2023 1:00:00 PM HTRA 4/20/2023 1:00:00 PM |
HB 124 |
| HB 124 version A.PDF |
HTRA 4/18/2023 1:00:00 PM HTRA 4/20/2023 1:00:00 PM |
HB 124 |
| Edward Sinclair Marine Pilots App_Redacted.pdf |
HTRA 4/18/2023 1:00:00 PM |
Board of MArine Pilots: Edward Sinclair |
| HB 124 Testimony - Alaska Technical Center.pdf |
HTRA 4/18/2023 1:00:00 PM HTRA 4/20/2023 1:00:00 PM |
HB 124 |
| HB 124 Testimony - Alaska Trucking Assoc..pdf |
HTRA 4/18/2023 1:00:00 PM HTRA 4/20/2023 1:00:00 PM |
HB 124 |
| HB 124 Alaska Public Media Article 4.11.2023.pdf |
HTRA 4/18/2023 1:00:00 PM HTRA 4/20/2023 1:00:00 PM |
HB 124 |