How young should commercial truck drivers be?

It’s no secret: Trucking is going through a two-pronged employment crisis.

First, the economy has improved and freight volumes are picking up. Compound that with the loss of trucking capacity after the recession, and you’re looking at an industry that’s up to 45,000 jobs in the hole. Those numbers are staggering.

Second, experienced drivers are retiring faster than fleet recruiters can get new ones in the door. The average age of a commercial truck driver is 49 years old. Some fleets have average driver ages in the late 50s.

With no real answers in sight, the government is floating an idea that we’ve heard before. If a new bill circulating in the U.S. Senate gains traction, we could see truck drivers as young as 18 driving 80,000-lb. trucks.

To some, this sounds like a really bad idea. But consider that many states already permit 18-year-olds to operate big rigs; they just can’t cross state lines.

To put this in perspective, right now a young adult might drive a commercial truck from El Paso, Texas, to Galveston, Texas—a distance of almost 800 miles—but can’t cross the street to take a load from Texarkana, Texas to Texarkana, Ark.

Surprisingly, lowering the federal commercial driving age requirement isn’t a new idea. The Bush administration last broached the subject in 2002, but support dried up and officials quietly shelved it.

Although this is sure to be a divisive issue, letting 18-year-olds drive commercial vehicles across state lines could help the recruiting push. In many states, a new crop of potential employees would become immediately available.

Here at Double D Distribution, we’ll continue hiring experienced, professional and committed truck drivers, as we always have. If you are of legal commercial driving age and are looking for a lucrative and stable career with an established company, fill out one of our driver application forms today!