By Al Muskewitz

Wright Media Editor-in-Chief

The trucking industry has moved closer to allowing commercial drivers under the age of 21 to operate in interstate commerce and while two of the country’s largest industry advocacy groups continue to have opposing views on the motivation for the measure, the move is afoot to bring in a group of younger drivers to help ease the pressure on the industry.

The American Trucking Associations has applauded the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration for taking steps toward a new pilot program that would allow non-military commercial drivers under the age of 21 to operate in interstate commerce. The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association, meanwhile, continued its opposition, as well for as the DRIVE Safe Act, citing them as detrimental to highway safety.

Earlier this month the FMCSA began accepting applications for a three-year pilot program that would allow sponsored 18-20-year-olds with heavy-vehicle driver training in the military – largely National Guard and reservists – to get out on the road.

“ATA supports FMCSA’s effort to expand on its current work examining younger commercial drivers,” president and CEO Chris Spear said in a news release. “Right now, 18-, 19- and 20-year-old drivers are driving trucks in the United States. What these pilot programs will do is set out a path for these drivers to fully participate in our industry by allowing them to drive interstate.”

“Rather than developing ways to allow more teenagers behind the wheel of commercial trucks, the federal government should be taking steps to reverse the incessantly high driver turnover rate, which remains above 90 percent among large truckload carriers,” OOIDA president Todd Spencer said. “Efforts should focus on improving the industry instead of trying to hire more cheap labor … If highway safety is the priority, the age should go up not down.”

The push for younger drivers has been on the radar since October 2000 and initially denied in 2003 citing insufficient information to make a determination of the safety measures for the Under-21 driver set. Now there is a program in place to allow younger military veterans with driving experience to drive interstate commerce. FMCSA is seeking comments through July 15 on what training, qualifications, driving limitations and vehicle safety systems it should consider in developing options or approaches for a second pilot program. 

FMCSA will compare safety records of the participating drivers to a control group of drivers 21-24 with comparable training and experience to help determine whether age is a critical safety factor.

In a recent hearing of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation on FAST Act reauthorization, Sen. Jon Tester (D-Minn.) cautioned on the veracity of the comparison since the control group already has driving experience and eligible to drive across state lines. He recommended FMCSA come forth with an idea to support an educational element to the program “because if the department doesn’t support it, we’re not going to get it passed because everybody’s concerned about safety.”

Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) urged stakeholders at the same hearing to take a “common sense” approach when it comes to Under 21 drivers and other industry issues.

Currently, Hawaii is the only U.S. state that prohibits drivers under 21 from operating trucks in intrastate commerce. Alabama became the latest state to approve teen drivers for intrastate commerce when Gov. Kay Ivey signed the bill, which overwhelmingly passed both houses of legislature, in May; its law goes into effect Feb. 7, 2020, purposely delayed to coincide with new national guidelines for CDL instruction.

The measure, which comes with restrictions, is expected to be a boon to Alabama utility operators and beverage haulers, while giving younger drivers needed experience before meeting the over-21 threshold for interstate driving. Most interstate carriers require drivers be at least 23 with two years of experience.

Retiring Alabama Trucking Association president and CEO Frank Filgo called the law in his state a “win-win for motor carriers, shippers and consumers” that would “help advance long-term, sustainable profitability for Alabama motor carriers and suppliers.”

Still, under the current rules of the road everywhere, a teen trucker in Tennessee could run freight along I-40 from Bristol to Memphis – a distance of 503 miles – but once he got within sight of the Mississippi River couldn’t go the extra 9,500 feet across the bridge into Arkansas. Or, going in the other direction, cross into Bristol, Va.

Safety and liability concerns seem to be the greatest roadblock toward introducing younger drivers to interstate commerce, but with proper training and guidance those risks could be greatly reduced, proponents say.

“We absolutely support that position that 18-year-olds should be allowed to participate in interstate commerce,” TLD Logistics president and COO Jim Peters said. “It doesn’t make any sense that 18-year-olds can drive within the state of Tennessee, but they can’t cross the state line. There’s nothing magical that happens when they cross the state line. Properly trained, they can execute interstate commerce, in my opinion, as well as anybody else can.”

Even FMCSA administrator Ray Martinez agreed the current 1930s-era law “makes you scratch your head” and “deserves a good hard look now” because technology to monitor drivers and industry safety standards has changed.

Troy Trantham, vice president and general manager of Trantham Services in Alexandria, Ala., said the new law won’t affect his operation today, and because of the nature of his company’s services he’d be hesitant to put an inexperienced driver behind the wheel of one of his trucks, but he is glad to see the law passed for the future of the industry.

“I’ve actually been a proponent for that,” he said. “If you stop to think about it when our kids are in high school and getting out of high school they can go to a trade school and learn a trade, but in the past you can’t drive a truck until you’re 21 … With the driver numbers going down as they are, I’m glad to see it (signed) because we’re actually going to increase our drivers by getting our people when they’re younger and saying this is a good career for somebody who wants a trade.”

Matt Frazier, director of safety, compliance and security for Montgomery Transportation, believes the law can only help the industry that is facing a driver shortage that could reach well over 100,000 in just a few years.

“One of the biggest downfalls in the industry right now is we’re losing drivers,” he said. “You get a kid who graduates high school he’s going to do one of two things: He’s either going to go to college – and he’s probably not going to be a truck driver if he goes to college – or they go into a vocation. We’re losing that three-year time period. Being able to get them straight out of high school and get them in the truck, get them the proper training and all that, it can only help the industry.”