Tax Credit for CDL Training Expenses

Finally, a tax break for the trucking industry! This is big. Unlike the old joke that begins with, “Hi I’m from the government and I’m here to help you,” this actually provides some relief. Ohio House Bill 222 has already passed in the Ohio House of Representatives and, if passed into law by the State Senate, will provide you with a tax credit for training CDL drivers. Wow! It’s about time.

We’ve been writing about the driver problem for 30 years. Until recently, we argued against the prevailing wisdom that there’s a driver shortage in America. Historically, our articles refer to the driver problem, which is constant turnover and churn. However, we’re beginning to change our tune. We find ourselves in 2020 feeling the confluence of an aging driver population juxtaposed with a rapidly growing young generation that has no interest in driving a truck for a living. That’s a double whammy.

To do our part to help the industry add new drivers, we developed the first-ever comprehensive CDL Finishing School. It’s also the only PTDI-certified finishing school in North America.

We built the course to help our clients embrace the new reality. The only long-term solution to the driver shortage is to create new drivers. Where will they come from? Who will pay to train them? What knowledge and skills do they need to succeed? A four-week traditional CDL training school is far from adequate to prepare someone for life on the road. Everyone knows that. That’s why insurance companies have traditionally red-circled drivers with less than one year of OTR experience.

Now, with the growing threat of a severe driver shortage, everyone is rethinking the problem. For the first time in history, insurance companies are willing to consider freshly minted CDL graduates, provided they complete an effective finishing school. And, federal law makers are finally considering lifting the 80-year old ban on 18 to 21-year old interstate drivers. We support both initiatives, with one giant caveat: they need outcome-based training. And, efforts like Ohio HB 222 will help pay for that new driver training. That’s a big win for the industry and for the motoring public. 

The tax credit will equal one-half of your actual training expenses. That means there’s never been a better time to grow your own team of safe professional drivers. They’re safer, more reliable and more likely to stay with you for the long-term than hiring someone else’s castaways.

Here’s your call to action: 

1. Please take a moment and contact members of the Ohio House of Representatives (http://www.ohiosenate.gov/) and urge a floor vote on HB 222! By the way, this should be easy.
2. Find out more about AvatarFleet’s CDL Finishing School and how it can help you grow your applicant pool, reduce your reliance on experienced drivers who have bad attitudes and unsafe driving habits and fill your trucks with safe professional drivers.