Can drivers be forced to quit for being too old?

Starve them happens anyway, young or old,,

 

Not sure if you are taking offense or what, these older drivers are by far the best on the road

 

Sh**..I'm 67 and the boss asked me to stay another year as I was to retire this spring. Seems like some of the newer models don't have the skills or ethics of earlier generations

 

Yeah I do get what your saying which is why most of the older drivers usually are required to under go more regular medicals. Yes I do think driving a heavy vehicle in your 80s is a risk, but then one could equally say is it also not a risk to allow younger drivers to operate a heavy vehicle? Obviously not for the same reasons with the younger driver its all about lack of experience. Someone who barely knows how to drive a car let alone a vehicle weighing some 80 000 lb. Recently I watched a doco about Easyjet one of the more popular budget airlines in the UK I was surprised to see just how young they allowed pilots to fly a commercial airliner carrying passengers in a 737 or airbus equivalent. Now they are only first officers with the captain in control, however if by some chance something happened to the captain guess who is tasked with flying the aircraft? there are also other issues whereby pilots of a certain age are restricted as to which airports their allowed to land a plane at which could also create problems if one needs to land in a hurry.

 

You're right mate, but it isn't just if something happens, captains often use that opportunity to get some sleep. I gave up driving heavies at 60, but not from reasons of age. I am now 81 and gave up my licence years ago but have covered many thousands of miles in Europe in my car as a volunteer with no problems. I am not doing it any more but that is because of my wife's health, not mine.

Nice place you live BTW, I lived in both Mackay and Townsville back in the '60s after the NT and then back down to Sydney.

 

Yeah, hazmat and fuel hauling definitely come with their own set of rules and safety measures. As long as you're up for it and in good shape, age shouldn't hold you back too much. Sticking with it until 65 sounds totally doable if you're feeling healthy and capable.

 

your right, im almost 70

 

I guess like the tavern toilet, you're missing the point. I never said older drivers are bad drivers. Due to plain old experience, they should be the best. What I'm saying over and over, past a certain age, older people simply don't react like a young person, and are about 1,000 times more at risk for a health emergency. Many professions that deal with public safety already know that and have age limits. I know it's a bitter pill to swallow, taking away your right to drive a truck, and truck drivers have the most denial of all, but BS reigns supreme, and older drivers that give you that crap, "oh, I love to still drive", when they really mean, they can't afford NOT to drive, and that's a shame on all counts.

 

My insurance renewed us coming up, they specifically told me that if i kept my dad, who had his cdl since they came out a 5 years chauffeur license, if i keep him on it’ll be higher because his age.

That law doesn’t mean anything to insurance companies, who actually rule the world.

No accidents, claims (ever) or tickets.

 

Get in with a good company, do them right for a decade or so. Maybe longer. When you reach retirement age, go in and say you wanna drive part time. Drive just enough to where it doesn’t affect your Social Security…..supplement, your income, and drive to keep yourself busy. Company I’m at has a few drivers like that.