Do Drugs, Lose Your License

This was the intended purpose all along IMO.

 

Understandable, however knowing that the average age of a trucker is around 50 years old & rising consistently in that age group. Plus a good Majority if younger adults could care less to enter this industry, while immigrants apply overseas for a North American cdl the majority lack the bare minimum communication skills with the English and understanding road signs. Plus, driverless trucks are being put on the back burner until its perfected. Its becoming an old man and wonen profession. What happens in 20 years from now? I agree no trucker should driving a semi on the road high on drug and agree 100% with that. But whos doing this life deducted sacrifice your time job in the future?. I could be wrong but even when I ask my nephew who's in his mid 20's & his friends they all laugh and would rather construction, electrician, welding, plumbing etc

 

More then you would think. Keep in mind many of us younger generations have just as many anti-social/loners/workaholics who excel in this type of job or enviroment as the last few generations. Where you run into issues is a lot of these forigen truckers dont even need to pay a penny for their CDLs. Hell ive met several over the years that bragged they only had to ask their embasys and had them the next week with minimal to no training.

Meanwhile the cost to entry can be very high with more or less required school and many schools asking as much or more then a comparable degree in other fields that pay more with less work to start and you see anti trucker signage and vitrol on a literally hourly basis. Do a google search on getting your CDL and the front page is flooded by megas who when you check on if they are good companys to work for. You as often as not you get angry hate filled rants about on the front page about all the bad stuff low pay and article after article about how your less then an animal in their eyes.

Thats what scares many off more then the lifestyle and job itself. And i think if the industry really starts to fall apart 1 of 2 things will happen. 1 the government will back off and make the process easier and cheaper. Maybe even offer incentives. 2 and more likely. They will both ham fist out driverless trucks snd throw the doors wide to forigeners to come in with few/no requirments and shreeeeeeeeeek racist at anyone who disagrees.

 

OK, if this true, why is the average age of a Trucker in the Usa 50 yrs old plus? The Bureau actually says its 55 years old.
How many truck drivers are in the USA? And why we need more 99% I run into drivers in my age group of 50 plus years old. I rarely see 20 or 30 years old otr or city. If the younger drivers were closer to the majoruty age group it would be more like a 35 year okd average.

 

I disagree on one point: If the industry gets that thin, what I'm afraid of the government doing is using the armed forces drivers and take over hauling food and beverages and once they got that clamped down....then we'll all be slaves at their mercy...

 

You seem to be misunderstanding what im saying. Im not saying there are lots of kids. Im saying there arent lots of kids not because they are lazy, but because the industry has such a negitive light, and is now so expensive to get into that in many cases its literally cheaper and your paid more to get into a trade. Hell the communinty college where i live has welding at $12,000 with often paid training and CDL training at $8,000 where you dont make a dime till you graduate and find someone to hire you that then pays you at best 60% of what the welder gets. Though the CDL classes are much faster. Its likely worse elsewhere.

Maybe...but trucking has a lot of lobbiests much more likely they will buy off our officals since its no secret they happily let themselves be paid off.

 

Yes, probably the phrasing.

 

I'm in the average age group of drivers at 47 years old but for the 24 years I've been over the road that has always been the average age of drivers. I remember them saying that back when I was in my early 20's just like they always talked about driver shortages.

Even so there's still a lot of younger people doing this job. Trucking never changes. Driverless trucks taking over 100% or even most of this industry, will never happen. That's BS just like popular mechanics said 75 years ago we'd all be jetting around in personal jets like George Jetson. BS that never happened and never will the sane as autonomous trucks.

 

Yeah, I've also been hearing this for almost 30 years I've been driving with my cdl. The only difference is the aerage age sets a precedence of these times. If the minority if drivers in their 20' year old age group of 3 5 million truckers is less than 200,000 its the minority weighing on the future of trucking. Especially when 3 million plus average over 50 years old.