West Chester, PA-based LTL carrier A. Duie Pyle plans to reimburse drivers for the costs of security and background checks associated with the new hazmat endorsement renewal rules that went into effect May 31.
Called the “CDL hazmat endorsement subsidy program,” it’s designed to reduce the cost of getting fingerprinted and obtaining background checks for all A. Duie Pyle driver employees, said Peter Latta, the carrier’s president.
“Paying up to $150 to satisfy regulations that appear very complex so they can haul hazardous materials does not seem like a worthwhile option to many drivers,” said Latta. “That’s why we are determined to carry some of the burden on their behalf.
Eligible drivers, for whom the main criteria to receive the subsidy is simply to have an uninterrupted renewal of their license and to be able to provide a copy of the renewed license, will receive up to $100 of the costs associated with the fingerprint and background investigations from A. Duie Pyle.”
He added that the new costs are a lot to ask of drivers on top of the 45 to 90-day wait period for receipt of the license, which is why A. Duie Pyle decided to try and take some of the sting out of the new requirements.
“It helps the drivers and, by encouraging them to renew their hazmat endorsement, we help ourselves and our customers,” Latta noted.
“I’m aware similar steps are being taken among other carriers,” Cliff Harvison, president of the National Tank Truck Carriers Assn. told Fleet Owner. “It’s a marketplace decision. In this day and age when you do all you can to retain drivers, I suspect a large amount of carriers are doing the same thing.
“But so far we’ve not heard too much [from our membership about the hazmat program],” Harvison continued. “The program is less than a month old and it’ll be the end of the next business quarter before trends will be noticeable— especially on the number of drivers who would not renew their endorsements for what ever reason.”
