Lack of drivers, the US wants to let people from 18 years old to drive trucks

 Lack of drivers, the US wants to let people from 18 years old to drive trucks

Instead of having to be 21, 18-year-olds will soon also be allowed to drive commercial trucks under a pilot program as the U.S. red-eyed for drivers.

On Tuesday (January 18), the President and CEO of the Freight Association Chris Spear also said that the challenge for the US supply chain is due to "chronic staff shortages", leading to the loss of goods. Goods cannot be unloaded at ports. According to the association's calculations, the trucking industry is short of 81,000 drivers.

The Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Administration, part of the U.S. Department of Transportation, has outlined details of a pilot program that will allow 18-year-olds to drive commercial trucks on public roads, except except Hawaii. Currently, the legal age for truck drivers in the US is 21.

The program can last up to three years, piloting 3,000 young drivers. They will be required to complete 400 cumulative hours of apprenticeship with an experienced driver in the seat next to them. Then, until the age of 21, they will be able to drive alone but under the constant supervision of trucking companies.

The program is part of a $1 trillion bill, signed by President Biden on November 15, aimed at modernizing America's infrastructure. Hundreds of millions of dollars have been allocated to investments such as expanding high-speed Internet access, developing transportation programs and improving roads and bridges.

The Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Administration was tasked with starting a youth driver pilot program 60 days after the infrastructure bill was signed into law. An official start date for the pilot has yet to be announced.

A truck leaves the port of Los Angeles. Photo: NYT

A truck leaves the port of Los Angeles. Photo: NYT

Trade groups, including the American Cargo Association, say the pilot program will give the industry a much-needed boost. Nick Geare, Vice President of the Association continues to be concerned about the predicament in the supply chain.

According to analysis by the Transport Association, the industry will transport 10.23 billion tons of freight in 2020, down 13% from the previous year. From 2019 to 2020, the number of truck drivers in the country decreased by about 7%, to more than 3 million.

The pilot program is not an overnight solution, said Mr. Geale, but will introduce drivers to the workforce sooner and more safely. Currently, the average age of a truck driver in the US is 37.

However, some safety advocates argue that the program is ill-advised and that lowering the age limit for truckers will not address inherent aspects such as work schedules. Fatigue and inadequate safety technology on trucks.

They say teenage drivers are at a much higher risk of crashes than those who have been driving longer, citing research showing that younger truckers have a higher crash rate. touch higher. In the US, the teen years are between 13 and 19.

"This is really just a bandage on a deep wound. The problem is not the lack of drivers, but how to keep them," commented Cathy Chase, president of Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety.

Once the pilot program begins, Ms. Chase hopes that her worst fears about teenage drivers causing preventable deaths will not come true. .

"We think that leaving one of the most dangerous drivers - teenagers - behind the wheel of 80,000-pound trucks (over 36 tonnes) will put not only the driver himself, but other people as well." moving together on the road into a dangerous situation," she said.