New Bill Would Drop Age Threshold For Truckers
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The following is an excerpt of the article, "Teen Truckers? Bill Would Drop Big-Rig Driver Age to 18" written by the Associated Press and published July 10, 2015 by the New York Times:
WASHINGTON - Parents may hesitate to hand teens the keys to the family car, but Congress is proposing to allow drivers as young as 18 to get behind the wheel of big rigs on the nation's interstates
Federal regulations currently require drivers be at least 21 before they can drive commercial trucks across state lines, but a bill introduced this week by Republican senators would allow contiguous states that join together in "compacts" to drop the age threshold to 18 for interstate trips. There is no limit on the number of states that could join the compacts.
After four years, the Transportation secretary is supposed to report to Congress on whether teens have "an equivalent level of safety" in comparison with older truckers.
Read the original article in its entirety.
What do you think?
Attention truckers: we'd like to know your thoughts on this proposed legislation. Is the risk of lowering the age for truckers worth an increase in drivers to the industry? We've posted this story to our social media pages and we invite you to share your insight by visiting the sites listed in the bottom left-hand corner or this page. If you feel passionate about this topic, we would also encourage you to write your state senator. You can search for their contact information here.
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