Can I get a Class A CDL at age 18 in the state of New York?

thanks for this update on 18 year olds having to be 21 now.

he can still get some sort of job, driving straight trucks (non-CDL) to at the very least, get him into the industry and learn how important it is to maintain a clean driving record. like bread delivery, or dry cleaning companies, etc.

i did read thru the link, but i did not see where this changed from 18 to 21 years old...like what specific date,

for instance, the new CDL everyone had to have it by April (??) of 1992..??

 

Class A was abolished I think by Bill Clinton in the early 90's after the drunken USS Belknap wreck against her Carrier because 50+ sailors were pot or drunk. The industry was told you will have a CDL after 1991 and participate in drug testing or drink testing etc. We lost approximately 350,000 truckers who refused to upgrade. I myself did not upgrade until the very last day of Class A to CDL in April 1994 in Maryland. Otherwise Maryland would have revoked the Class A at midnight and I would have to go back and get a car license or retest for everything to try to get a CDL. All those drivers leaving the trucking opened up hiring for me when otherwise my tickets said no. Eventually the tickets fell off.

Regarding OP's question trucking at 18 in state only. The only exception is Military Transport. And you lose that when you leave the service and have to go to school to get a civilian CDL. However if your commander makes a letter proving your experience then you can show that to a prospective employer.

I myself feel that 18 is pretty young to be trucking. Need a Rumspringa of sorts before they are allowed to have a 200,000 dollar rig and haul god only knows how much value in the thing far away. Even if you were able to run, you will find a wise dispatcher keeping you out of certain areas of the USA. Nevada, Colorado etc for starters. Need to get you seasoned first.

If I saw me at 18 for trucking I would not hire me. Not then. It was a different time in those days. There were a awful lot of people who had a full Class A by 19 or 21 etc in those days. The doing is not the problem. It is society and it's temptations around the USA.

At some point all of this will be moot when robots take over the world. Its a different feeling past 50 when you have had a lifetime of trucking. It does not hold the attraction as it might at 18.

NY is not a bad place to start. Once you hit 21 and escape the Empire state... you will be attracted by the idea that there are actually free states around the USA =) Enjoy!

 

i always felt 21 was too young as well...i say at the very least....26....

i recall filling out applications (the old fashion way, in person, not online), and many asked if you were at least 26 years old.

or, from the help wanted ads, (again, long before online apps) the ads would specify "Must be 25/26 years old"

too many debates on the age issue, i am only saying what i had seen in the past.

 

You really need to not post when you are on your meds X1. Where in the world are you coming up with the nonsense that Class A's have been abolished?

 

The 26 year old thing crept into insurance. When I was hired at 21 a month later wondering about them paychecks I was seeing in the mail drops on the wall 1200 here 1100 there 1500 more rare etc after taxes I asked about them gasoline runs.

They laughed, said I needed to be 25. Its a long time at 600 a week net hauling cement.

I first noticed the 26 thing for cigarette sales about 15 years ago. Then the Obamacare said you can be a kid at 26 on your parents insurance. OREALLY!? must be really something stuck in daddy's basement at that age. and so on.

My white hair is beginning to get me offered senior discounts and Im not mid 50's just yet. (I'll work on that before too long...) It will also be the last of the 16.00 pair of tacos from taco bell as well. (They dropped mine from the menu on the 12th, takes too long to assemble.) I'll either make my own tacos for a week on that 16 or find someone else to do it at one of the three mex res truants around here.

 

a senior citizens coffee at Micky D's, is under one dollar.....but it is a small cup.

 

I dye my hair silvery-gray just to get the senior discounts.
As for the taco's; buy boxes of frozen ones at Sams Club or Costco or wherever.
For breakfast I love bean burritos and a cold bottle of Tsingtao beer.
Buy the beer at Asian markets.
TSINGTAO Beer 青岛啤酒. Tsingtao is a world famous beer brand.

 

You can drive a personal type vehicle in any state. But you cannot operate a commercial vehicle with an intrastate NY CDL in any other state. The chances of getting a job at 18 are reduced because of insurance company demands.