John Calipari makes case for Darius Acuff Jr. to be National Player of the Year
Arkansas basketball coach said Darius Acuff Jr. should be in the discussion for the National Player of the Year honor after Arkansas basketball beat Texas A&M.
- Fort Smith voluntarily paused its commercial driver training program after a federal review found administrative issues.
- The city immediately took corrective action, including updating instructor credentials and recordkeeping processes.
- The program, which only trains city employees, is on hold until federal officials confirm the fixes are adequate.
- A nationwide review by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration resulted in hundreds of training providers facing removal from the national registry.
Fort Smith officials say the city voluntarily paused its commercial driver training program earlier this month after being notified of administrative findings during a federal review of training providers nationwide.
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration recently conducted more than 1,400 on-site investigations of commercial driver training providers across all 50 states. The review resulted in 448 notices of proposed removal from the agency’s national Training Provider Registry, while 109 providers voluntarily withdrew. An additional 97 remain under investigation.
Against that backdrop, the City of Fort Smith was notified Feb. 9, of administrative findings related to its Entry-Level Driver Training (ELDT) program.
“The City of Fort Smith was notified on Monday, February 9, of administrative findings related to our Entry-Level Driver Training (ELDT) program with the U.S. Department of Transportation,” said Josh Buchfink, public relations manager for the city. “Upon notification of the audit finding, the City of Fort Smith immediately took corrective action to address the items identified, including updating required information and strengthening instructor credential verification procedures to ensure continued compliance with all federal training requirements.”
Although the city was given 60 days to respond, officials said corrective measures were implemented immediately. The city is now awaiting formal confirmation from the Department of Transportation regarding whether those actions fully satisfy federal requirements.
Eric Garvin, the city’s director of human resources, said the corrective steps included verifying and updating instructor endorsements, strengthening credential verification procedures through routine Motor Vehicle Record (MVR) and Commercial Driver’s License Information System (CDLIS) checks, updating required Training Provider Registry information to reflect the correct training location, and enhancing internal recordkeeping processes.
“These measures ensure continued compliance with all Entry-Level Driver Training requirements,” Garvin said.
City officials emphasized that Fort Smith’s ELDT program provides training only for city employees who require commercial driver’s licenses as part of their jobs. The program does not train members of the public.
In May 2024, the city’s ELDT program underwent a similar Department of Transportation review and successfully passed, according to officials.
The city has voluntarily paused all ELDT training activities until it receives confirmation that its corrective actions fully meet federal standards.
The federal review found that many of the noncompliant providers nationwide lacked properly credentialed instructors, used improper vehicles for training or failed to meet documentation and testing requirements. Officials said Fort Smith’s findings were administrative in nature and did not involve removal from the national registry.
