The trucking industry no-doubt struggles with a shortage of drivers. To fight this struggle the industry is making a substantial effort to get young drivers behind the wheels of trucks on highways to combat the driver shortage.
Trucking industry representatives along with some politicians are recommending putting older teens behind the wheel of big rigs on interstate highways and believe that changing federal safety rules by lowering the legal age for interstate truck drivers is the solution.
There are ongoing safety concerns about the higher crash rates of younger drivers. Previous efforts to change the rules also have failed, but the trucking industry hopes to change that.
Earlier this month, a pilot program called for in the Obama-era Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act, or FAST Act, was moved a step forward by the federal agency that oversees truck safety. The program waives minimum age requirements for cross-country truckers but is limited to certain military personnel. It is now in its second public comment period.
The Under 21 Pilot Program
The pilot program, designed to run by the Federal Motor Carrier Administration, was first published in 2016, with public comment solicited and received that fall.
Now, in June 2018, the agency has published its response to the comments and more details on how the pilot will work. A 60-day deadline for the next round of public comments is in place.
The three-year program will allow participating trucking companies to recruit a combined total of 200 active or reserve military personnel, under age 21, with heavy truck driving experience earned in the service.
Participating trucking companies also will have to find 200 experienced drivers — ages 21 through 24 — among their combined workforces to serve as the control group to compare safety data. The companies will collect safety data for both sets of drivers that the agency will analyze and share with Congress.
And as with any federal safety regulation waiver, the pilot program has to operate at safety levels at or above those achieved under the current 21-and-older driver rule. That’s a high bar.
Whether or not the trucking industry succeeds in getting Congress to lower the age limit for interstate truck drivers, it has acknowledged that that step alone won’t solve the truck driver shortage.
If the shortage continues to grow, lifestyle and working conditions also will have to improve to attract more drivers, no matter what their age. The trucking industry says that, with the right controls in place, allowing younger drivers makes sense.
But allowing teens to drive 18 wheelers cross country remains controversial.
Source: https://www.trucks.com/2018/07/19/trucking-industry-favors-teen-drivers/
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