18-21 year old truck drivers

I have not said scatterbrained. I say experienced. A teen ager has not had enough time behind the wheel of even a car to learn about traffic patterns, other drivers's reactions, the physics of a moving vehicle, how cars re-act to various weather situations, on and on. Why do you think a young driver's car insurance is so high dollar ? Statistics have proven they are more likely to cause an accident. Experience is the best teacher, and you need that to be a trucker, and while driving a 4 wheeler does not compare to driving a truck, it is better to teach someone how to maneuver 18 wheels after they have mastered a 4 wheeler.
Think about it. Do you really want the average 19 year old, who may have driven a car for only 2 years, totalling 30,000 miles, to wheel an 80,000 #, 53 foot down a steep incline ? How about him driving in rush hour traffic in Atlanta ? On ice ? No you don't.

 

We don't say that when we put a rifle in there hands!!!

 

Let's face it: the ills of trucking will neither be cured nor worsened by allowing 18 yr olds to drive interstate. I despised being cooped up by state lines but lived with it. I'd MUCH rather have a sharp 18 yr old out here vs. a 30 something who has exhausted every other job and is using trucking as a last resort. Kids who think "real" jobs like trucking are cool are few and far between..........do you REALLY think this is that big a deal?? I am really sick of the middle aged goof-ups who are just drawing a check........bring on a few kids who WANT to truck.

 

They are not. About 90% of the accidents which happen are driver error and out of those the 16-21 age group has the most accidents of any age group. Having someone get behind the wheel who has maybe on and off a couple years driving and not able to understand distances or to judge quickly is a recipe for disaster.

By the way I started learning how to drive a truck when I was way way under 21, but I also drove a lot for many years before. By the time I hit my 18th birthday, I traveled all over the place, from Wisconsin to Maine to North Carolina and even into Ontario, Quebec and Manitoba, most of the time I was alone or with my girlfriend and no one ever said "you're too young" or tried to stop me.

Now I can't seem to find anyone who has been to more than Cedar Point or up some little town in Upper Michigan, and that's when they already graduated college.

 

It's ok to send our 18 year old sons to die in some foreign land.

I guess they are mature enough for that........... Ahhhh OK! I get it now!

Some of you make me sick.

 

That goes for 95% of the driving population. It also petains to a good many truck drivers from what I have witnessed over the past 40 years.