Posted on 01/18/2022 1:19:12 PM PST by conservative98
DETROIT -- The federal government is moving forward with a plan to let teenagers drive big rigs from state to state in a test program.
Currently, truckers who cross state lines must be at least 21 years old, but an apprenticeship program required by Congress to help ease supply chain backlogs would let 18-to-20-year-old truckers drive outside their home states.
The pilot program, detailed Thursday in a proposed regulation from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, would screen the teens, barring any with driving-while-impaired violations or traffic tickets for causing a crash.
But safety advocates say the program runs counter to data showing that younger drivers get in more crashes than older ones. They say it's unwise to let teenage drivers be responsible for rigs that can weigh 80,000 pounds and cause catastrophic damage when they hit lighter vehicles.
The program was required by Congress as part of the infrastructure bill signed into law Nov. 15.
(Excerpt) Read more at abc7.com ...
I agree!
Keep them out of the mountains, and no hazardous cargo.
Put them on the gravel trucks, where they used to put the drunks. You can’t hurt gravel.
Teens? As in boys?
These teens have no leg muscles. They’ve been hormones out or something.
I disagree. Lets hope you’re right.
All because of Brandon and his goofy policies!!!!
Dear Lordy
Most 18 yr olds don’t even have enough experience in a car to drive said car in low friction environments.
Much less having passed through the “hold my beer” dangers generally occurring before ~ 25 yr old.
I was a heavy equipment operator in the Seabees and drove rigs with massive equipment on the lowboy. 18 years old.
I drove e Truck at 17, fresh out High School, granted this was 1977, things have changed
The 13 year old daughter of our friend drives the families Ford 7610 tractor baling hay while my wife and I ride the wagon stacking square bales.
While we are doing this her dad is doing the round bales and the mom is doing the raking.
The whole family is involved
Keep them out of the Rocky Mountains.
LOL, I saw that back in the day....
“If they’re qualified, fine by me.”
Part of being considered qualified is gained through experience. Those in charge should be careful just where they let them drive and what loads they let them carry. Wyoming in winter for example, where the rigs blow over, or get stranded in heavy snow is not a good idea for newbies. Neither are 11,000 foot mountain passes, especially coming down them, good weather or bad.
You get some experience by making mistakes.
Hopefully in a small vehicle, alone on dirt road for example.
Drive too fast, skid off road, dig yourself out, swear to not do that again.
No do-overs if you are getting basic driving in the semi.
I agree with you about truck drivers in the mountains! I was driving in the Sierras a few months ago and a truck driver flipped his truck over and it took me HOURS to get out of those mountains (and that’s also when I learned gas stations are no longer open past 10).
Also wasn’t the VA snowstorm 72-hours-stuck issue a few weeks ago due to many tipped over trucks?
Maybe truck driving school needs to be a bit more rigorous (not that that would help the supply chain).
Forgot to add, my daughter is a safety engineer for a large trucking company so I hear all the stories first-hand.
Unfortunately to drive into Canada, don’t they have to have taken the jab?
I’m so gonna win the over-height for bridge challenge!
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