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Weather Alert

Weather Alert

...HEAT ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 7 PM CDT /8 PM EDT/
FRIDAY...

* WHAT...Daily heat index values of 100 to 107.

* WHERE...Portions of southern Illinois, southwest Indiana, western
Kentucky, and southeast Missouri.

* WHEN...Until 7 PM CDT /8 PM EDT/ Friday.

* IMPACTS...Prolonged exposure to hot temperatures and high humidity
may cause heat illnesses.

* ADDITIONAL DETAILS...The first prolonged stretch of heat and
humidity of the season will amplify health impacts. Health impacts
will build with each successive day in the heat and humidity.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

Drink plenty of fluids, stay in an air-conditioned room, stay out of
the sun, and check up on relatives and neighbors.

Take extra precautions when outside. Wear lightweight and loose
fitting clothing. Try to limit strenuous activities to early morning
or evening. Take action when you see symptoms of heat exhaustion and
heat stroke.

&&

New CDL training creates changes in trucking industry

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semi, truck
By Kenzie Dillow

(WSIL) -- There are big changes for truck drivers and the trucking industry in the U.S. Anyone getting their CDL or upgrading their license now has to complete an approved Entry Level Driver Training Program. 

Rend Lake College is one of the places in our area offering the new program. 

The American Trucking Association says they need 80,000 new drivers, but new federal mandates are requiring more work from new drivers and the people teaching them. 

"A couple of things we have to now do is report all of their information such as their motor vehicle records, certain scores they achieve on tests. We have to report all of that to the Federal Motor Carry Safety Administration now," said Margo Wagner with Rend Lake College. 

Wagner says this new entry level training program, could cause a slowdown in drivers getting behind the wheel. 

"I do feel like it's going to cause somewhat of a backlog and I know local DMV's are changing things up themselves to try and accommodate everybody who's trying to get through to get their CDL right now," explained Wagner. 

If you're thinking applying at an Illinois trucking school like Rend Lake, you'll need a Department of Transportation Physical-Drug Screen and valid Illinois Drivers license, these rules remain the same. 

"This was originally supposed to go into effect February of 2020 and they pushed it back two years to February 2022," said Wagner. 

But what is changing? CDL applicants will also need a current license that is more than a year from expiring. 

"Let's say if your drivers license expires January 1, 2023, that's within a year so you're going to have to get that license renewed before you can take the permit test."

And Wagner says we will have to wait and see how this impacts the number of new drivers on the roads. 

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety administration is also pushing for 18-year-olds to be able to drive semis across state lines. They would have to be with an experienced driver who is at least 26-years-old, but could complete the program before their 21st birthday. 

The Truck Safety Coalition has been outspoken against it, citing dangers teen drivers pose. 

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