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The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is now accepting applications for a pilot program that would allow people between the ages of 18 and 20 who possess the U.S. military equivalent of a commercial driver license to operate trucks in interstate commerce.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is seeking a final round of comments on its plan to soon begin a three-year pilot program to compare the safety records of current or former military heavy truck drivers younger than 21 with a control group of current interstate drivers from 21 to 24 years old.

Federal regulators July 3 announced plans to permit 18-20 year-olds with the U.S. military equivalent of a commercial driver license to operate large trucks in interstate commerce in a pilot program that will monitor their driving safety records.

Members of the military who earn a commercial driver license increase their chances of finding employment once they leave the service, Billy Erskine, director of the North Carolina Truck Driver Training School, told Transport Topics recently.

U.S. Army trucks using an autonomous driving system from Lockheed Martin logged more than 55,000 testing miles during a simulated warfare experiment program held at Fort Leonard Wood, Mo., and Fort Bliss, Texas, according to Lockheed Martin.

Schneider, for the seventh year in a row, has been chosen by Freightliner to receive the 2017 edition of Ride of Pride, a truck series that honors past and present members of the U.S. military.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration on June 9 announced two proposed rules, one that would allow states to issue a commercial learner permit for up to one year, and the other a waiver that would help ease the transition for members of the military to become commercial truck and bus drivers.

Legislation that would facilitate access for military personnel to obtain commercial driver licenses was easily advance by a House panel in May.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration will issue a proposed rule to amend commercial driver license regulations that would ease the transition of military personnel into civilian careers in the truck and bus industry.