18-21 year old truck drivers

When I was 18 I tired getting into trucking school, wanted to work for an intrastate carrier. It didn't happen, but there are people at that age who are mature enough and have the knowledge to not allow their emotions to overtake the responsibility of driving safely. I doubt any of the people in my high school graduation class were wanting to be truckers. I don't think they would flood the companies if the age was lowered, it would just allow some to start a lot earlier than I was able.

 

Finally, a reasonable reply.

 

You're right...just a shortage of great drivers who are tired of the shenanigans these Co's pull anymore. ...

 

If a person was really eager to become a truck driver at the age of 18, then I say why not, he/she would be a better driver than someone who's in it just for the money.

 

NOT "NO" BUT HELL NO.

I bought my first truck when I was 20 years old. Back in 1973, ran up and down the East Coast with produce.But that was long ago, lots less traffic, and folks who wanted to drive at that age back then were mostly farm boys who knew about equipment.They had driven all kinds of smaller trucks, and had common sense.Today the traffic is much worse, driving is more complicated, trucks are larger, and the younger generation lacks the background knowledge we had. I am sure there might be a few who could should be awarded a Class A CDL at the younger age, but the vast majority are simply not mature / experienced enough to be on the road.
They are not looking for more drivers, they are looking for cheaper drivers. To a 20 year old, 500 bucks a week is a lot of $$$$$.
Now maybe a 20 year old with a box truck truck running local would be OK, but to turn a teenager loose with an 80,000 large car would be asking for trouble. We experienced hands have hard work keeping out of trouble, imagine someone who has just learned to drive being in the air ride seat.

 

I'm right there with you, Ridgeline. This is a contrived shortage to sucker more fools into CDL schools. Otherwise, there'd be some signs in the marketplace, and there's no indication of a shortage of anything. Unless maybe it's responsible drivers. Remember this, NYsuper, we don't need to add 18-21 year old drivers for texting, dialing, and talking while at the wheel. We have plenty already. It's embarrassing.

 

I don't agree with the OP at all. For one, your generalizing all 18-21 year old kids as immature. There are plenty of people in their mid 30's and older that act less mature than grade schoolers. And to be honest, I don't know if you've looked around but some of the most immature people are already in the trucking industry regardless of their age. How many times do you see drivers racing around trucks 1/4 away from a weigh station just to have to cut someone off because they get pulled in. Or the infamous people who park in the fuel island to go take a shower and eat their subway? You know just as well as anyone that we could make pages among pages of all the immature things truckers pull day after day, and if you take a minute to look at these drivers, I GUARANTEE a vast majority will be people waay outside their "young years".

It pisses me off to be honest. You see kids every day whipping in and out of traffic in their rice beater Honda fixed up with the latest gear from wal-mart, and yea you laugh at them. But what about all the 30+ year old dude's getting off of work in their sup'd up hemi RAM doing the same thing to get home 5 minutes earlier? And as someone said earlier, I guarantee you any kid looking into becoming a truck driver is not one in the same as the kid in the rice beater honda. I've seen just as many seasoned drivers who don't know their left from their right as I've seen young drivers who can drive circles around most people.

So honestly #### anyone who's ignorant enough to think a kid with drive and passion at a young age is worse than the drivers we have on the road right now.

 

To look at someone in that age group and to automatically assume they are an irresponsible scatterbrained punk is somewhat ridiculous.

They should be taken as a person by person scenario, as should everyone else. Some people can do this job, some cannot. Being at a

younger age than the majority of other drivers does not determine that.

 

Old enough to vote, how about that?

 

I know some 50 year olds that are less mature then many 18 year olds I have met.

As others have said it depends on the individual on how mature they are when they are 18. It’s not fair to put all 18 year olds under the same umbrella.

We put 18 year olds at the controls of a 136,000lb vehicle with a 120mm cannon all the time. If they are old enough to go to war for us they are old enough to drive a truck over the road in my opinion.