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.

   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.