The ASE Education Foundation is hosting a webinar, How the New FMCSA Exemption and TMC Streamline Technician Training Requirements for Inspections, on Oct. 29.
Robert Braswell with the Technology & Maintenance Council (TMC) will detail how the a new exemption applies to motor carriers, intermodal equipment providers and individuals. It allows them to self-certify they have completed a training program based on TMC's Recommended Practices (RPs).
Earlier this year, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) granted a five-year exemption that will cut the time new technicians need to spend preparing to enter the workforce while maintaining high standards for safety and competency.
The American Trucking Associations (ATA) and its TMC requested the policy in 2020. Technicians will be allowed to shorten to 540 hours the federally required on-year of training or experience needed to conduct commercial vehicle inspections and brake-related repair and maintenance, provided they received training based on TMC's RPs.
The RP-based training and certification "would likely achieve a level of safety equivalent to or greater than the level of safety provided by the regulatory requirements," the FMCSA says.
