At least 42 different trade associations have sent a letter urging Congress to pass a bill which would allow drivers under 21 to drive commercial vehicles across state lines. The American Trucking Association has signed on, but the majority of groups who signed the letter are from another industry entirely: the food retailing and manufacturing industry.
Groups who signed the letter include American Trucking Association, Food Marketing Institute, and National Grocers Association. So why is “big food” writing to Congress about a trucking bill? According to them, it’s because of the ‘driver shortage.’
In the letter, the groups use numbers often cited by the ATA. They say that there is currently a shortage of 50,000 truck drivers, which should grow to 174,000 by 2026. They claim that the shortage of drivers will not only cause prices to skyrocket, but wait times as well. And that provides insight into why an industry that deals largely in perishable goods is the first to speak up.
“The truck driver shortage is slowing the movement of commerce in this country, raising consumer prices and wait times for goods. Nowhere is this threat more evident than in the foodservice distribution industry, which delivers food and supplies to the over 1 million professional kitchens across the country every day,” Mark Allen, President and CEO of the International Foodservice Distributors Association, said in a statement. “The DRIVE-Safe Act is a common-sense proposal that will open enormous opportunities for an emerging workforce and strengthen safety training programs.”
The DRIVE-Safe Act would provide a pathway for young people between the ages of 18 and 21 to earn the right to drive interstate. You can read our in-depth coverage of the bill here, and OOIDA’s reaction to the bill here.
Source: gobytrucknews, truckinginfo, forbes, supermarketnews, truckersreport, truckersreport
If industry really wanted to put an end to the driver shortage, they would pay a decent wage based on hours on duty, not miles driven, and many people who are leaving would stick around.
I agree Mark. I have to agree. New years with same ole laws and rules, smh.
Exactly what they are doing. Pay them nothing lower wages and standards. These people and companies are idiots. The people in these administrations and management groups can’t do our jobs but are going to have these kids do it. C’mon. Kids, ridiculous
Are they idiots to lie, and push to keep their profits high by bringing in drivers who will accept less pay ? No not really, but they are cheats to try and keep the wages stagnant. We simply need to make sure that every such article is followed by the question of , and WHEN HAVE YOU raised the wages for truckers ? How much time off or PTO do they get compared to other industries. And yes it would be great if we wrote that into congress. But the big media like that of ATA rule the words most read by greeds pols (politicians).
Amen !!!!!!!!!!
Too many companies work drivers like a rented mule and when the drivers get fed up and quit the companies say how ungrateful the drivers are. I worked for a construction company and April through Nov we worked 70hrs 6days a week, Sat and Sun included. No one allowed to take vacations during the busy season, don’t find out if you’re working tomorrow till schedule is posted at 6 pm. then wonder why drivers would get tired of it and leave.
Amend that! More PAY less HOURS is better!!!!
Just what we need, more drivers on the roads that have no clue how to drive.
Lame comment chump — I’m sure there are plenty 18-21 yr Olds that would be more responsible and safer drivers than plenty of “adults” 30 yrs old and older — I know plenty of idiot unsafe drivers that should not have a class A over the age of 30
If the money is comparable to pay in 1985 I’ll fill one of the 50k empty seats. I’m betting it’s same old story, that is it’s not dealing with the problem, LOW PAY…….GET YOUR CHECK BOOK OUT AMERICIA AND YOU WON’T GAVE A DRIVER SHORTAGE.
I think the bill should be signed if there is an agreement that at least the 18 yr olds with little experience are properly trained, monitored and escorted by a more experience driver. As for the 21 year olds, it should be based on their experience and how long they have driven without getting any tickets, serious charges and not having any type of accidents specifically in a commercial combination vehicle.
I agree with the trucking associations. There is a great shortage of drivers because of such laws. However; I also understand the safety, law, insurance concerns of the legislative law makers. In any case a common ground would be nice.
shortage is due to low pay. a man essentially living in a truck to get your goods where they need to be should be making like $80k. mileage pay is bad enough but then to not be compensated for being stuck in a truck in usually deserted areas is terrible. i don’t have miles. i have time. if i’m giving all my time to you i should be compensated even if i’m not getting miles.
Yeah, show a 18 year old that’s responsible in a four wheeler, I don’t thinks so you will see truck accidents go through the roof, biggest reason is all these dam regulations were choking the death with, ELOGS #1, PAY#2 SLOW ASS TRUCKS #3, AND I COULD GO ON AND ON
We need our truckers man!!!!!
They want a excuse to hire more inexperienced drivers to control and not pay them crap. That all that is, their expendable because they can’t hire illegals under the table anymore.
U stole my thunder. I like to ad legal (not illegal) are always gonna drive down wages. I worked as an instructor for a while and maybe 1/2 of all students r foreign. They don’t understand the pay system. Sure they r making $50,000, but they r working 60 plus hours a week.
AND sleeping in a truck.
These clowns are putting driverless trucks on the road, want to put immature kids behind the wheel of a vehicle that is no joke, but want to push all of these BS rules up the butt of every driver on the road regardless of experience and safety record. Im sure a country full of trucks with no human control will be real safe along with these foreigners that are DRIVING JUNK and PLAYING THE MC# ROTATE GAME, when one of the #’s get too bad of a safety rating the group switch trucks to opne of the other groups while that# sits and gets some time for the record to drop back to a safe standing then they can just keep rotating. They are putting signs up with a picture of a truck with a line throught it telling which lane to stay in because they cant read any english.
stop pushing the experienced drivers out of the industry with these non sense rules.
WHY NOT HAVE A LEVEL RATING FOR EACH DRIVER AND THE BETTER THEIR SCORE THE LESS BS THEY HAVE TO DEAL WITH LIKE ELD’S AND THE 14 HOUR RULE. I’M JUST SAYING STOP PUTTING EVERYBODY IN THE SAME CATEGORY. ELD’S DONT BOTHER ME IT’S THE 14 HOUR RULE THAT IS THE MOST PATHETIC THING EVER. We used to be able to drive 5 sleep 4 drive 5 sleep 4 or whatever as long as you took yourr time off. Foprcing you to do your trip in 11 hours is ridiculous because you dont have freight that fits those hours folr every driver. I do shorter runs and it still just messes my day all up.
I say there will be some MAJOR DEATH #’S if they put these driverless trucks on the road.
YOU PUT 10 HAPPY EXPERIENCED DRIVERS ON THE SAME RUNS AS 15 OF THESE CLOWNS TEARING TRUCKS UP AND NO EXPERIENCE THE 10 DRIVERS WILL ACCOMPLISH TWICE THE FREIGHT HAULED AS THE 15 NITWITS. AND ILL BET THAT IS VERY TRUE.
At the end of the day what’s matter is getting the freight from point “A” to Point “B” safely and cost effectly.
This company’s could care less if someone speaks English or if someone is foreign or how nice someone’s truck looks like.
If you don’t make money for the company they don’t want you, it doesn’t matter how many years of experience or English skills you have ✌️
So they won’t know if they’re being screwed since they’d have no prior experience…plus with age and time out comes the understanding of how things work…turn over and freight and vehicle damage will go through the roof then their will be a whole new set of problems and more half assed solutions
These association, maybe, want to swindle these inexperience goods transporters (truck drivers). Goods transporters are truck drivers and with the new name we are employees not independant contractors.
Congress truck drivers are obsolete and the new name is Goods Transporters with the conclusion of been employees.
I am a living example of a truck driver labeled as an independent contractor per Golden State Express and swindled me $70;000 by paying diesel, insurance, parking and truck payment. However, if I was a Goods Transporters (truck driver) I would be an employee. I am wondering why the business is still operating. II informed DeFazio about the statement given under in Congress under penalty or perjury and the owners are operating.
Please, do not give an opinion because $70,000 were not swindled from you and accused of other things.
Conclusion, drivers under are less responsible.
California Port is my 21 Century creation, innovation, idea, and business for the responsible man and women. I respect Los Angeles and Long Beach Port, yet Its time for a new era of an import and export transportation and infracstructure roads.
There is no shortage of drivers. There never was. I’ve been hearing this tune every year since 1997. That’s the year I became a big rig driver. Simple rule of economics says that when the supply is lower than the demand, the price goes up. For the 21 years of driving my truck, I have never seen the price of the driver go up. The price of transporting goods did, but not the price of the guy doing the transporting. So cut the bs ATA! GFY!
That is exactly right. And they do this in many professions.
Spot on driver. If there was a shortage of drivers, there would be less goods in stores. Every time I go to any store I see so many different types and brands that I can’t decide which one to buy for few minutes.
Putting kids under 21 in a truck is a bad idea for multiple reasons, a lot of companies won’t hire anyone under 25 for insurance reasons and for the food industry to be complaining about driver shortage is hilarious. The places I have been treated the worst and kept waiting around the longest has been grocery warehouses and I’m sure it’s not any better now than it was when I had to deal with them .
I think the “big food” they are talking about are the companies that haul ‘food’ for all the fast food restaurants like Mc Donald’s, Taco Bell, Pizza Hut etc. Them, and the other restaurant suppliers (US Foods, Sysco etc.).
42 groups of uninformed idiots, plain and simple.
Besides noting the obvious stupidity of this proposal, can anyone point out exactly where these 18 year old newbies are going to get the experience they need driving ANY VEHICLE ON THE PUBLIC ROADS before being allowed to pilot an 80k lb truck?
TY Brian!! I was waiting for this comment…and back up a few comments, they don’t just raise the price of food/goods/product, how bout all the other costs as well…fuel, oil, insurance, trucks/trailers, all parts/tires right down to ur lug nuts and light bulbs…then add in shortened days with Elogs and strict HOS operation!! And bam you don’t have a driver shortage bc there aren’t drivers available, you have taken away the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow to attract dedicated drivers!!
Eh… As long as they’re trained with extra scrutiny, I’m fine with it because you’re going through states with under 21 truckers in them anyway, especially in “flyover country” where a young driver could make a decent wage trucking across the state and back. I’m sure we’re already sharing the road with them on lanes like I-80 and whatnot anyway.
THIS is a very very bad idea. Pay better then you would have plenty of drivers. I lasted 6 months and then got out because the pay was so bad and the stress was beyond anything I have ever had in any other job in my 50 years.
I was 18 once and I know now that if I was behind an 80,000lb truck and trailer it would not have ended well.
No shortage of drivers ,just shortage of pay and bs,rules
No shortage of drivers ,just shortage of pay and bs,rules
They call it the safe driving act,lol.,you get what you pay for,simple as that,that goes for truckers,police,teachers etc.Pay us what were worth and will get the job done.
I dont believe that most youngsters have the maturity to do a good and safe job
unsupervised for any length of time.
Especially nowadays! Kids don’t want to work ANYWHERE, let alone trucking.
I can see there’s big problem finding ‘qualified’ drivers these days. The good drivers HAVE jobs and they aren’t quitting. More pay might be the answer but that also means an uptick in the cost of goods. The whole purpose of any company is to make money. Except for a few crooks running a few companies, I don’t think anyone is getting filthy rich off drivers.
Let’s see: driverless trucks, truck drivers under the age of 21, single pilot airliners, airline pilots with less than 1,000 hours flying experience…hmmm I think this has all happened before. Which is why we wanted drivers 21 and over and more than one pilot in the cockpit! LEARN YOUR HISTORY PEOPLE!!!
The only ones the ATA cares about is the companies that are part of their Organization.They are pushing an agenda just like most politicians.Guaranteed that the Driving Public will suffer the Consequences of their Stupidity. And the Stupidity of both Congress and the Senate who none of Live in the real world. Make them Responsible for that Stupidity and see how fast things change.Disallow by monies or gifts to anyone in public office,Remove the benefits that they give themselves and then take Away from everyone else.
Want more drivers in the truck driving industry, pay them for the hours worked each day instead of miles driven. We have way to many immature kids trying to run people over because they have a 62 mph truck and the 4 wheeler is only going 61.5. Need more professional drivers not more amateurs.
Can anyone say demolition derby if you see the video games these children play
I left the industry back in Febuary this year. Not enough pay. Best decision I ever made!
I love the title of this article… baby truckers. As if under 21 was a baby. I suppose then that when I was 18 in Vietnam I was just a suckling child. How I hadn’t even hit my 21st birthday by the time returned to the U.S. We have no problem sending under 21 year olds into harms way to fight our battles for us, but God forbid we allow them to drive a truck! They can get blown up by an IED, but God forbid that they might drink a beer. This mindset about those under 21 is what cause the move to pass the 26th amendment allowing those under 21 to vote. It was kind of hard to justify sending 18, 19, 20 year olds off to a war and not allow them to vote. But history repeats itself and a bunch of arrogant knot heads think that under 21 are just babies and can’t do anything. From what I see from many 30-40-50 year olds every day, I am more than willing to trust that someone under 21 is capable of doing this job. And maybe better!
What you are missing between then and now is how a vast majority of us were raised back then compared to how a majority of them now are not raised.
OK its fair to say if you join the armed forces you should be able to drive at that age. Because the soldiers take on a bigger responsibility than trucking in the USA. But if you are responsible and serious and maintain a good driving record and driving skills then its got my approval. At the age of 19.
Guess Trump screwed the Truck Voters….The Veterans have taking a back seat to everything an continue too….just as professional drivers do
Military should stand down…Veterans should say screw VA AND REAL DRIVERS SHOULD STOP YHERE LOADS HALF WAY AN WALK AWAY FROM TRUCKS….WHY? BECAUSE ALL 3 SITUATION ARE JUST LOSEING AT A SLOW PACE…DONT DELIVER PARK YOUR TRUCKS
I agree with most of you guys especially about the pay but the MAIN reason is so they’ll have a reason to push the driverless trucks once the young people get into accidents. I mean we all know that with skill comes with experience and experience comes with age. I’m not saying that young drivers aren’t adequate because I was a young driver too I got my CDL at 19 and was surprised to find out that I couldn’t go OTR but I’m glad I was able to because driving local gave me skill and experience. When driving you have to know you can’t drive the same way you do in snow roads vs. roads or Texas vs. North Carolina. That comes with patience and maturity. You have to think and know there’s a chess move trying to be made because on the one hand they are pushing for the driverless trucks but now all of a sudden we need more drivers. Why straddle the fence??
I drove in the army at 19 trained new soldiers how to drive now looking back on it most of them did fine but they were in convoys running 45 mph I seen a lot of accidents when they ran solo I was lucky many times doing stuff I shouldn’t. Taking hills to fast had a water tanker on 2 wheels going around a corner stopping to fast empty in rain had trailer jack knife had to run the red light to keep from wrecking all cause I wasn’t responsible enough didn’t have the maturity to care about my self and others on the road. I keep hearing they drive at 18 in the military yes they do but like I said in a convoy controlled 45 mph get them out of convoy a lot of them were lost
I can’t speak for anyone else, but I was in the USAF from Sept 78- Feb 84, as a vehicle operator/dispatcher. We weren’t allowed to drive heavy equipment until we turned 21. We were not driving “military” vehicles, but commercial ones. I learned to drive in a 1978 GMC Astro 96 cabover with a 13 speed Roadranger. A few months before we turned 21, we would go out to an abandoned runway and start learning to shift, corner, and back a T/T, but could not go on the road until you hit the magic number of 21.
Edit…Astro 95, not 96.
We need to quit crying and let these guys drive it will strengthen the industry and better pay for us all.
I’m not being a wiseass but I would like to know your logic for saying these younger drivers will strengthen the industry and get better pay for us all?
Come on, you can barely trust modern youngsters to safely drive a pizza delivery vehicle, no less a 80,000lb school bus killer! Wake up America! How come the American people don’t get to vote on this?
You know, under 21 military personnel are capable of driving responsibly, but it takes extensive training, discipline and responsibility along with ongoing training and respect to do so. What the FMCSA and ATA deem safe is embarrassing to modern human thought. How in the Hell does the government allow this to proceed? Oh yeah…lobbying (money, which used to be considered bribes)
The industry reached the bottom of the barrel a long time ago and continued to dig. The main reason they want these kids? They haven’t had time to get all their DUI’s, accidents and criminal histories. They are doing this for a new revenue streams. I would NEVER suggest trucking for anyone let alone some wet nosed kid. The allure for them is there, money, “freedom”, a shiny big box to live in. I can tell you after driving, training and managing the supposed “adults” who are currently flooding the industry.. these kids need to stay out of this disaster.
Hey we need more drivers, to work in the food industry, so then they get to work and not make enough money to feed their family. You go to one of these cold storage places you sit and sit, and then they do not want to pay you to sit.Make these people pay and if they do not want to pay then load the damned truck and quit wasting a drivers time. There is not a driver shortage there is an intentional crime of not paying the drivers enough and this is industry wide.
These young folks, would be far better off going to college. Why start off life in trucking industry. Nothing but bad hours, low pay and a long 14 hr day.
This is such a stupid idea. I’ve even found that there are companies hiring those who rent a truck pass the test and never had any driving experience. Our roads are already dangerous enough. You want to keep slapping new regs on experienced drivers this shows you obviously have your heads up your ass.
Gentlemen if they can go to war at 17 they should be able to drive the truck at 18
as long as they have proper training. Most, not all do not have the work ethic or motivation to prosper in the trucking industry. They usually leave disappointed or bitter.
Once again, let’s look at who keeps saying we have a driver shortage. It’s not shippers, they’re moving their freight. None of them are complaining that their freight is sitting on the docks, spoiling or deteriorating. It’s these large trucking companies and the ATA who have 10,000 trucks and only 6,000 drivers.
ATA stands for anti-trucking association
Soooo, Its fine to put a 18 year old in a tank in another country fighting or protecting but NOT ok to let them drive a commercial vehicle across state lines???? Can’t wrap my brain around that. Its all about training.
That 18 yr old in a tank isn’t going to be riding around a country by himself unsupervised. Even though he will be trained to operate that tank, he will most likely always have someone with him to help and to coach him such as a squad leader or a team leader, during and after training. Never heard of the army putting an 18 yr old in a tank by himself to go and fight. Unlike what the Govt is trying to do to these 18 yr olds with this so called driver shortage. An 18 yr old can be trained to operate a truck, but it’s a whole new ball game when he’s by himself with no trainer or anyone there to coach him.
If these guys would stop letting a truck sit on a dock for 2-6 hours to unload something that took 30 min to put on the truck they could end the so called driver shortage.
NO, NO LET EVERTHING ( THE AGES ) BE AS IT IS. DON’T ALOUD THIS ..WRONG!!!.
I’m opposed to this. Not because I don’t think 19-year-olds can’t drive, but because the real intent of these companies is to hire people who they can treat like trash. There is no driver shortage. How many class A CDL holders are there in the USA? Millions. Many of these people have decided they aren’t going to put up with the BS any more. So, the way these companies want to deal with it is to hire younger people to treat like trash rather than make the job more attractive to current CDL holders. So what will happen when the under-21 crowd decides they aren’t going to put up with the BS?
If there was a true “driver shortage”, as they claim, then the wages would reflect that, ie higher wages for those currently employed.
Bottom line is money pay drivers well an your driver wont leave you make sometimes better as a local driver why go over road when you can stay home an make money also and have a life ,too much bs on road anymore,drivers are not important until they need someone to haul their freight
OK….NOW WE GONNA HAVE PLENTY OF ACCIDENTS
Lowering the age would increase drivers and increase the complaints of driving trucks. They’ll have a higher turnover rate than they do now. The kids may want to try it, but honestly, how many people want to actually be away from home? There’s more to life than truck driving and the younger kids want to be with there friends and party on Friday and Saturday nights. So up yours ATA.
How can they afford the turnover that is fixing to happen, and justify all the training for kids that are going to come and go so fast it’s going to make their head spin
The ATA is supposedly all about safety but wants kids behind these trucks. Go figure. Now put in the extensive training of 400 hrs sounds like a lot but when you divide a work week of 70 hrs they should be ready to go at approximately 5 3/4 weeks. Sounds like driving school to me. My take on the ATA and the other supporters is they are idiots that only care about their profits. The answer to the driver shortage is better pay, less regulations, and to realize that drivers have families too.
This would be a tragedy looking for a place to happen
There individuals 50 plus who cannot handle the responsibility of driving a safe 18 wheeler
And how many people will the kids who don’t have the maturity to drive a big rig will get killed ? And not to mention handling “Road Rage” by themselves, or other drivers ? “DRIVE-Safe Act ” is a play on words. You can tell the driver to drive safe…but will he ? That is up to the driver what kind he will be. I never got a ticket in a truck…in a car yes…but not in a truck. We had “muscle cars” growing up. LOL!.But the government doesn’t pass laws to protect people….they pass laws,because they got paid “under the table,and behind closed doors” by big business.That’s how it’s done people.
Regulations is interfering with drivers as well. Look how many drivers are losing the job because they now have to forfeit their med card, when they have been trucking all their lives?
18 year olds with 6 month experience driving 80,000 pound semi trucks on the nation’s highways and byways. Sure, why not? What could go wrong?
They have been driving a car for 2 years and now we put a kid behind the wheel of a semi. They don’t want to work as it is. They love to text and drive. They will take chances so they can brag to others.I say no way to kiss in trucks.
Ending the ELD would free up owner operators to conduct business as should be. Instead of sitting. Putting untrained 18 year olds behind the wheel of an 18 wheeler semi truck spells disaster on the highway.
If the brokers weren’t trying to make 70%+ on each load for not doing anything other than playing middlemen then there wouldn’t be a shortage and holding the load for weeks with the lowest rate listed on the loadboard until crunch time and finally offering a fair rate but by that time the loads late and I don’t even want to respond to the co signers who are supporting this because we know the real reason,, ! ,,
Typical . . . talk about safety safety safety, but behind your back you’re going to do whatever you need to to make money. That’s the entire trucking industry. Driver pay has been on the rise, up 15% the first quarter of this year, and likely it will continue to rise in light of the “Driver Shortage”. That’s a good thing, and about time, name another job where people aren’t home every night, or even every week! Wanna keep those experienced drivers on the road? It’s not magic, it’s simple, PAY’EM!
As for <21 y.o. drivers, think about his, would you want YOUR children on the road in the lane next to them???
“STRENGTHEN safety training programs”…? Are you kidding me? The mega carriers’ so-called “training” is already bad enough as it is, and now you think some hot-headed, egotistical teenagers would STRENGTHEN something that isn’t even strong to begin with? 🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄
Under 18 drivers is a BAD idea. How many 18 yr olds have enough common sense & the responsibility to drive an 18-wheeler? Proper training? Thats a laugh. Drivers coming into this cesspool now don’t have proper training in most cases, what makes you think that would change for 18 yr olds? It wouldn’t, don’t kid yourself.
Look at all these foreign drivers out here now. Proper training? Nope. Common sense? Nope Tailgating 6 ft off the back of the trailer in front of them whose doing 67 mph but isnt fast enough so they try to intimidate you by driving aggressively 6 ft off your bumper like its normal to do.
I have never seen such a blatant disregard for safety & common sense driving out here like I do now.
And they want to throw 18 yr olds in the mix? That’s flat out ignorant. I don’t know about you but when I was 18 I had a need for speed. Had a hopped up 74 camaro which almost killed me one Halloween night & a few years later bought a 74 corvette which damn near ruined my driving record. If I was able to drive an 18-wheeler at that age it probably would’ve turned out pretty ugly.
The gov’t classifies driving a truck as ‘unskilled labor’ so they can keep the wages down & ‘unskilled’ steering wheel holders, foreigners who can’t read or speak the English language but can rent a bucket of bolts junk truck & trailer & run up & down the road with reckless abandon & their in business somehow. The level of entry to get a CDL is a joke & why there is more riff raff out here than ever before. It’s no longer an honorable occupation to make an honest living as a professional driver but rather an industry inundated with UNprofessional drivers out here & if you can’t see the writing on the wall you have your head in the sand cause it’s only going to get worse out here, much worse, so you best have a Plan B otherwise you’re just going to eventually be a statistic. The good ole days of trucking are long gone. Once the flurries start to fly or by Oct 1st Im climbing out of the truck for good & Im done dealing with this bs. Life is too short to spend it doing this when its no longer enjoyable & all I do every day is put up with potholes & a**holes anymore.
Trucking.. hit bottom twenty years ago.. continues to dig.
It’s a shame! Just the naming of the bill is a lie! unfortunately it’s younger drivers or these reprehensible companies will bring in more foreign drivers. Check the accident ratio on I-40 coast to coast.