In 2023, Ruan was approved to participate in the FMCSA’s Safe Driver Apprenticeship Pilot (SDAP) and announced the acceptance of two experienced drivers to serve as registered trainers in the program. The three-year program was designed to allow individuals between the ages of 18 and 20 explore interstate trucking careers and assist trucking companies with hiring and training new drivers. Once the program’s groundwork at Ruan was established, it came time to identify the first apprentice.
A qualified apprentice through the program must be a person under the age of 21 who holds an Intrastate Commercial Drivers License (CDL) with a clean driving record. Chris Martin, out of Cedar Falls, IA, came to Ruan with his CDL in hand after hearing about SDAP through the CDL program at Hawkeye Community College. The northern Iowa native grew up spending time on his grandfather’s farm, where he developed a passion for building and restoring tractors and was introduced to trucking. Once his application was submitted to and approved by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), Martin was assigned to Ruan Driver and SDAP trainer Terry Owens. Chris began his official driving training on March 4, 2024, and has clocked 900+ driving hours since. 
“Chris has made me very proud. He is always listening, excited to learn, and is very thorough,” said Owens. “I’ve told him that the best way to learn something is to go out and do it, and the SDAP program is the perfect opportunity to do that while following all the rules and regulations required in the trucking industry.”
The SDAP program officially launched on July 26, 2022, when the FMCSA began accepting applications from interested motor carriers. Data collection on apprentice drivers and participating companies began in November 2022 and is slated to continue through November 2025.
“The SDAP program has opened doors for more people to join the transportation industry and is proving to be of great value to not only the participant, but also the industry,” said Ruan Vice President of Operations Jeremy Carmichael. “We are thrilled with the outcome thus far and we look forward to the growth potential the program has to offer.”
If you want to learn more about Ruan’s participation in the Safe Driver Apprenticeship Pilot, contact us today!