Page 13 - Arkansas Trucking Report Volume 23 Issue 2

nine miles further in Memphis, Tenn. Hunter (R-Calif.) and Trey announce Major Thompson as our new
The proposed legislation would cre- Hollingsworth (R-Ind.), the DRIVE-Safe Chief of the Arkansas Highway Police,”
ate a graduated two-step program for Act will help train younger drivers far stated ARDOT Director Scott Bennett.
18–21 year-old CDL holders to train and above current standards. Under the “Major Thompson
with experienced drivers before earning legislation, once a driver has met the has done an out-
credentials that would allow them to requirements to obtain a CDL, the pro- standing job in his
legally make interstate deliveries. gram’s additional training will include years at the AHP and
“The DRIVE-Safe Act is a signifi- rigorous performance benchmarks that is respected by his
cant step that addresses two issues of each candidate must achieve. Drivers peers, both here at
importance to Arkansas,” said ATA will be required to complete at least 400 the department and
president Shannon Newton. “First, it hours of on-duty time and 240 hours throughout the law
provides a career path for young people of driving time with an experienced enforcement community. I am confi-
seeking to join an industry with a driver in the cab with them. All trucks dent in the leadership he will provide to
strong presence in our state. Second, for used for training in the program must all of the officers in our division.”
the more-than 4,000 registered motor be equipped with safety technology AHP protects the state highway
carriers in Arkansas, the DRIVE-Safe like collision mitigation, video event infrastructure by enforcing Arkansas’
Act will help them provide service to capture and speed governors — the same size and weight laws for commercial
their customers by accessing a pool of systems that young drivers can expect vehicles and by monitoring those
drivers who have been trained above to encounter throughout their career on vehicles for speeding and other traffic
and beyond current requirements.” the road. violations.
Chris Spear, President and CEO at Thompson currently serves as a
American Trucking Associations, added, THOMPSON NAMED CHIEF OF board member for the Commercial
“This is a common-sense proposal that ARKANSAS HIGHWAY POLICE Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) and
will open enormous opportunities for Major Jay Thompson has been served as president of the organiza-
the 18-21 year-old population, giving named Chief of the Arkansas Highway tion in 2016. He received the CVSA
them access to a high-paying profession Police (AHP), a division of the Arkansas John Youngblood Award of Excellence in
free of the debt burden that comes with Department of Transportation 2003. In 2016, Thompson received
a four-year degree.” (ARDOT), according to agency officials.
Introduced by Reps. Duncan “We are extremely pleased to 

ARKANSAS TRUCKING REPORT | Issue 2 2018 13