Rates are crashing and fuel to the moon!

And what is deemed a “qualified driver” a second seat that has 3 months experience? If the government and mega carriers involved that’s how it will be.

 

It's just slave labor pool for megas.

 

For the government actually.

 

Porter indiana. I-80 exit 22...

 

Qualified as in legal to drive interstate. It mentions nothing about actual driving ability. So likely the same as anyone that can be a trainer now. I was simply pointing out the foolishness of acting like 2 18 year olds will be crisscrossing the country running team.

 

It's not really such a foolish stretch. They'll do anything for cheap labor they can abuse. Didn't England and some other mega carriers get some sort of waiver where they're allowed to let cdl permit holders to drive as a team with a trainer who's in the bunk asleep? What a great idea that was.

 

Which makes the program unattractive for BOTH the under 21 and any reputable carrier.

Forced teaming doesn't work. I know a lot of guys came up that way, and when it was the only pathway into a career that paid better than most jobs I can see why guys did it. Even 10 years ago driving paid much better than any factory job (at least around me). Driving still pays more, but not enough more to convince someone to leave home fore 30 days at a time, let alone share 600 cubic feet with another person.

From the carrier's perspective - teams that are 'created' from two random people tend to last about 6 - 12 weeks, and usually one or both will leave the company after the 'break up'. So do they want to risk their tenured drivers to get a couple 18 year olds? Would that 'qualified driver' be a better asset for the company as a driver trainer? Is the extra paperwork worth the hassle? Most importantly - what happens when the 'qualified driver' becomes quits/gets fired/becomes incapacitated?

It's a dumb program trying to cater to every special interest group that ends up meeting no one's needs.

And for the folks saying "18 year olds aren't mature/responsible/whatever enough" - this is a conversation I had this week with a 48 year old "farm boy" that wasn't able to back into a Walmart DC spot:

[Roger gives scale ticket to Trainee]
R: Are we legal?
T: Yes, we're under 80,000
R: What about the axles, are the axles legal?
T: Yes, we're legal.
R: What are maximum axle weights?
T: [stares blankly]
R: How much weight can we have on the steer axle?
T: 12k
R: [groans inwardly, but moves on] And how much is on the steers?
T: 11,840
R: Ok, now what's the most we can have on the drives?
T: 34k
R: And how much is on the drives?
T: 27,620
R: Ok, now what's the most we can have on the trailer?
T: 34k
R: And how much is on the trailer?
T: 35,300
R: So are we legal?
T: Yes, we're under 80,000
R: [screams internally] Yes, we're under gross weight, but focus on the axles. We're 35k on the trailer, but only allowed 34K.
T: Oh, yes.
​

No, this guy didn't pass, but he does have an unrestricted CDL. For more than a decade I've been saying that 18 year olds are as responsible as some of the 50 year olds that come through my truck and much more coachable. They've got better hand/eye coordination, better depth perception, and fewer bad habits to unlearn. We've got a lot of members in their 60s and 70s who are going strong, with a couple of owners who have specifically stated they only hire older drivers as they are 'more reliable'. The difference is they are hiring TENURED drivers who happen to be old, they are not TRAINING NEW DRIVERS who happen to be old. Maintaining skills as a persons ages isn't hard. Learning new skills is more challenging - not impossible, but it takes more work. I'd much rather train an 18 year old who listens to bad music and thinks farting is funny than a 50 year old who can't see at night and can't trust a fart anymore. The difference is the 18 year old is CHOOSING the truck, the 50 year old is generally being FORCED into the truck due to three decades of bad choices.

 

Dang I hate having to agree with you!

 

I've got to the receiver two days ago just to find out the load was scheduled for the previous day and they refused to unload me. After going back and forth with the broker, today they informed me the new appointment will be for the next Wednesday...

 

I heard Landstarve will hire 16 year olds as Owner Operators if they look 18.