FMCSA’s Exemption: A New Training Opportunity

Hear ye, hear ye! We come bearing news from the FMCSA!

Yes, folks, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Association is changing things up, and that could mean big news for your shop.

If you’ve wandered onto this page because you thought “hear ye” meant we were announcing a new fantasy-flavored Fullbay update, well, we are sorry to disappoint you. In short, big rigs must undergo yearly safety inspections if they want to continue operation. This is often referred to as a DOT inspection, and while it is performed by people in official positions, carriers can also obtain one from a shop that has a technician certified to do so.

It all sounds great on paper: carriers can bring their vehicles to their usual shop for maintenance and repairs, and then pay a smidge extra to get that coveted DOT sticker. The problem at hand: it takes at least a year of training or experience to perform those inspections and brake repair and maintenance. And getting that training often means pulling said tech away from regular work. Oh, and we’re still dealing with a shortage of techs.

Okay, maybe that’s more like three problems.

The big news here is that the FMCSA has granted an exemption from that year of training to technicians who follow training provided by the American Trucking Associations’ Technology & Maintenance Council. The exemption lasts through January 16, 2030.

Not sure what this means? We’ll dig into it more.

ATA’S TMC FIX

If you hang out with Fullbay, you know we love the ATA and their maintenance branch, the TMC. They’re respected across the industry for their Recommended Practices, many of which have been featured in the State of Heavy-Duty Repair.

In 2020, the ATA approached the FMCSA with a proposal: Hey, if techs are trained using our RPs, they should be allowed to skip the one year of federal training/experience around brake stuff.

(My editor and the company lawyers are telling me I need to emphasize that the above is a general reconstruction and interpretation of the ATA’s proposal, not the proposal itself.)

Technicians following TMC’s RPs may be able to self-certify in 540 hours, as opposed to an entire year.

According to a press release on TMC’s website, “‘The exemption applies to motor carriers, intermodal equipment providers and individuals, allowing them to self-certify that they have completed a training program based on TMC’s RPs. This RP-based training and certification, rather than the currently required year of additional training or work experience, “would likely achieve a level of safety equivalent to or greater than the level of safety provided by the regulatory requirements,’ FMCSA said.”

In the same release, TMC Executive Director Robert Braswell cut to the heart of the matter: “The industry continues to face a persistent shortage of technicians, so anything we can do to cut red tape and get students and young people onto the shop floor quickly will help address it.”

(Psst — we interviewed Robert Braswell a few years ago and learned quite a bit about TMC and their mission! Read more about them here.)

This is a relatively recent development, so more news and guidelines for shops looking to implement TMC’s training materials are likely forthcoming. We’ll keep our eye on things, and update this article as we know more.

(And hey, Fullbay can’t certify techs for you…but it sure can make DOT inspections easier to track! Get a demo here if you’re into it.)