Gov. Bill Lee signs executive order targeting commercial truck driver shortage

Melissa Brown, Nashville Tennessean
·2 min read

Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee on Monday signed an executive order aimed at addressing an ongoing shortage of licensed commercial truck drivers amid a nationwide supply chain slowdown.

Lee joined other Republican governors to launch "Operation Open Roads" on Monday, calling for fewer federal regulations in the trucking industry such as dropping the intrastate CDL license age from 21 to 18.

"We have worked together with 15 governors across the country to provide a pathway forward for decreasing the supply chain challenges," Lee said Monday morning.

Lee's order notes supply chain issues in Tennessee are particularly exacerbated by a shortage of those with valid commercial driver's licenses.

Gov. Bill Lee, seen here in August at the state Capitol, on Monday signed an executive order aimed at the trucking industry and supply chain challenges.
Gov. Bill Lee, seen here in August at the state Capitol, on Monday signed an executive order aimed at the trucking industry and supply chain challenges.

An October report by the American Trucking Association estimated the U.S. is short more than 80,000 truck drivers due to myriad issues, including a large proportion of older drivers leading to an increase in retirements. While the driver shortage existed before the pandemic, closed or limited driving schools and DMVs considerably slowed the influx of new drivers, ATA said in the October report.

Fact check: Shortages due to rising demand, supply chain disruptions

Lee's order directed the Department of Safety and Homeland Security to study state statutes that "unduly burden" commercial drivers and might be amended in the upcoming legislative session.

He also directed the Department of Military and Department of Corrections to promote CDL training and certification for former servicemembers and incarcerated individuals who will soon re-enter society or who have recently left prison.

In a signed letter announcing Operation Open Roads, Lee and the other 14 Republican governors blamed Democratic President Joe Biden for the "American supply chain in crisis."

Economic experts say pandemic shortfalls and a booming demand for goods exacerbated already existing supply chain issues worldwide, not just in the U.S.

"The supply chain shortages are a global problem that are due to many factors," Sampath Rajagopalan, professor of data sciences and operations at the University of Southern California, told USA Today in October. "Some of the most important factors are port capacity constraints, container shortages, production capacity constraints in some countries, truck driver shortages, etc."

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Yue Stella Yu contributed to this report.

Reach Melissa Brown at mabrown@tennessean.com.

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This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee signs truck driver regulations executive order