The trucking industry argues the looming driver shortage could be dented if age restrictions are lifted.
Whether young adults should be trusted to
safely operate big rigs will be tested under a three-year trial program announced Friday by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) that will
allow a limited number of individuals between the ages of 18 and 21 to operate
commercial vehicles in interstate commerce if they receive specified
heavy-vehicle driver training while in the military and are sponsored by a
participating motor carrier.
The agency intends to establish a working
group to help manage, monitor and evaluate the pilot program.
The test was required by Congress in the FAST Act surface transportation
bill enacted in January.
The FMCSA said it plans to compare the safety records of the study group
to a control group of drivers 21 years of age or older who have comparable
training and experience with commercial vehicles to determine whether age is a
critical safety factor. Data on crashes, driving and inspection violations, as
well as from on-board electronic logging devices will be gathered for the
evaluation.
States are allowed to issue commercial drivers’ licenses to individuals
over 18, but federal law requires drivers to be at least 21 years of age to
cross state lines. Few 18-21 year-olds sign up as drivers because the restrictions
on interstate commerce are impractical for most businesses and because
insurance rules often make it onerous to hire those below the age of 25.
The American Trucking Associations (ATA) and
others have long supported graduated licensing to ease young adults into the
industry and give them experience operating a big rig in a controlled
environment. They argue that if 18 and 19-year-olds are considered old enough
to drive hundreds of miles within a state, their ability to drive safety doesn’t
change simply because they crossed a state border. The ATA estimates that the
industry has about 48,000 unfilled driving jobs, although the sluggish economy
has contained freight growth and minimized the impact of workforce supply.
Safety advocates oppose proposals to lower
the age limit because younger drivers are statistically more prone to
accidents.
FMCSA to conduct trial program for young adults to operate big rigs
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration will launch a three-year trial program to determine whether or not young adjusts between 18 and 21 should be trusted to safely operate big rigs.
