Attachment E - Section 4007(a)(2) of Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act

Section 4007 of the Intermodal Surface Efficiency Act of 1991
SEC. 4007. TRAINING OF DRIVERS; LONGER COMBINATION VEHICLE REGULATIONS,
STUDIES, AND TESTING.
(a) Entry Level.(1) Study of private sector.-Not later than 12 months after the date of the enactment of this Act,
the Secretary shall report to Congress on the effectiveness of the efforts of the private sector to
ensure adequate training of entry level drivers of commercial motor vehicles. In preparing the
report, the Secretary shall solicit the views of interested persons.
(2) Rulemaking proceeding.-Not later than 12 months after the date of the enactment of this Act,
the Secretary shall commence a rulemaking proceeding on the need to require training of all
entry level drivers of commercial motor vehicles. Such rulemaking proceeding shall be
completed not later than 24 months after the date of such enactment.
(3) Followup study.-If the Secretary determines under the proceeding conducted under
paragraph (2) that it is not in the public interest to issue a rule that requires training for all entry
level drivers, the Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and
Transportation of the Senate and the Committee on Public Works and Transportation of the
House of Representatives not later than 25 months after the date of the enactment of this Act a
report on the reasons for such decision, together with the results of a cost benefit analysis which
the Secretary shall conduct with respect to such proceeding.
(b) LCVs Training Requirements.(1) Initiation of rulemaking proceeding.-Not later than 60 days after the date of the enactment of
this Act, the Secretary shall initiate a rulemaking proceeding to establish minimum training
requirements for operators of longer combination vehicles. This training shall include
certification of an operator's proficiency by an instructor who has met the requirements
established by the Secretary.
(2) Final rule.-Not later than 24 months after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary
shall issue a final regulation establishing minimum training requirements for operators of longer
combination vehicles.
(c) Safety Characteristics.(1) Study.-The Comptroller General shall conduct a study of the safety of longer combination
vehicles for the purpose of comparing the safety characteristics and performance, including
engineering and design safety characteristics, of such vehicles to other truck-trailer combination
vehicles and for the purpose of reviewing the history and effectiveness of State safety
enforcement pertaining to such vehicles for those States in which such vehicles are permitted to
operate. Such study shall include an assessment of each of the following:
(A) The adequacy of currently available data bases for the purpose of determining the safety of
longer combination vehicles and recommending safety improvements.
(B) Whether or not such States are actively monitoring the safety of such operations.

(C) The best available information on the safety of such operations.
(D) Enforcement actions which have been taken in such States to ensure the safety of such
operations.
(E) Current procedures and controls used by such States to ensure the safety of operation of
such vehicles.
(F) Whether or not any special inspections of equipment maintenance is required to improve the
safety of such operations.
(G) The economic and safety impact of longer combination vehicles on shared highways.
(2) Report.-Not later than 2 years after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Comptroller
General shall transmit a report on the results of the study conducted under paragraph (1) to the
Committee on Environment and Public Works and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and
Transportation of the Senate and the Committee on Public Works and Transportation of the
House of Representatives.
(d) Operations of Longer Combination Vehicles.(1) Tests.-The Secretary shall conduct on the road tests with respect to the driver and vehicle
characteristics of operations of longer combination vehicles for the purpose of determining
whether or not any modifications are necessary to the Federal commercial motor vehicle safety
standards of the Department of Transportation as they apply to longer combination vehicles. At
a minimum, such tests shall examine driver fatigue and stress and time of operation
characteristics. Such tests also shall examine the characteristics of longer combination vehicles,
including an assessment of on board computers, anti-lock brakes, and anti-trailer under ride
systems to determine the potential safety effectiveness of those technologies as applied to such
vehicles.
(2) Report.-Not later than 3 years after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall
transmit a report on the results of the tests conducted under paragraph (1) to the Committee on
Environment and Public Works and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation
of the Senate and the Committee on Public Works and Transportation of the House of
Representatives.
(e) Funding.-There shall be available to the Secretary for carrying out this section, out of the
Highway Trust Fund (other than the Mass Transit Account), $1,000,000 per fiscal year for each
of fiscal years 1992, 1993, and 1994. Such sums shall remain available until expended.
(f) Longer Combination Vehicle Defined.-For the purposes of this section, the term ``longer
combination vehicle'' means any combination of a truck tractor and 2 or more trailers or
semitrailers which operate on the National System of Interstate and Defense Highways with a
gross vehicle weight greater than 80,000 pounds.