Interstate CDL License Bill Introduced In Senate

[esmith]

Drivers with a CDL and are undered the age of 21 can not drive interstate , but can drive the length of CA and TX, to name a few states.
Supposedly, the federal government has known for months that one of the major issues in the supply line is the lack of truck drivers. So, riddle me this why hasn't the Dept of Transportation done something about it? Is it because the Secretary of Transportation has been on maturnity leave for the past 8 weeeks and hasn't brought this problem up or maybe the supply chain problem hadn't reached the critical political point.
At least there is now a bill in the Senate, thanks to Senator Deb Fischer, that would remedy this problem.
Bill Would Allow Interstate Trucking Licenses For 18 Year Olds - Lowest Price Traffic School Laws & Leadership Blog

 

[Subduction Zone]

Drivers with a CDL and are undered the age of 21 can not drive interstate , but can drive the length of CA and TX, to name a few states.
Supposedly, the federal government has known for months that one of the major issues in the supply line is the lack of truck drivers. So, riddle me this why hasn't the Dept of Transportation done something about it? Is it because the Secretary of Transportation has been on maturnity leave for the past 8 weeeks and hasn't brought this problem up or maybe the supply chain problem hadn't reached the critical political point.
At least there is now a bill in the Senate, thanks to Senator Deb Fischer, that would remedy this problem.
Bill Would Allow Interstate Trucking Licenses For 18 Year Olds - Lowest Price Traffic School Laws & Leadership Blog

It appears that your article has qualms about this law. One reason it has not been done yet are facts such as this one:


According to National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) data from its Fatality Reporting System (FARS), 18-20 year old drivers have a fatal crash rate that is 66 percent higher than that of drivers over the age of 21.

 

[Revoltingest]

It appears that your article has qualms about this law. One reason it has not been done yet are facts such as this one:


According to National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) data from its Fatality Reporting System (FARS), 18-20 year old drivers have a fatal crash rate that is 66 percent higher than that of drivers over the age of 21.

It's possible that training & the added responsibility of driving a
truck would offer statistics far better than general young drivers.
(Cars inspire a Speed Racer mentality.)
We could look to accident rates limited to young truckers for
better prognostication.

 

[Subduction Zone]

It's possible that training & the added responsibility of driving a
truck would offer statistics far better than general young drivers.
(Cars inspire a Speed Racer mentality.)
We could look to accident rates limited to young truckers for
better prognostication.

Yes. One piece of data is not enough. The actual problem may be one of supply and demand. The supply of workers does not appear to be high enough because the wages are not perceived to be worth the various downsides of trucking.

 

[Revoltingest]

Yes. One piece of data is not enough. The actual problem may be one of supply and demand. The supply of workers does not appear to be high enough because the wages are not perceived to be worth the various downsides of trucking.

Pay has been rising. There's a limit how fast this
will be cuz a company can't increase its costs so
quickly that it becomes less competitive. Inertia, eh.

On my recent trip I talked to a truck driver at a rest
stop. He said that some independent truckers have
recently have experienced some idle days. Perhaps
the demand is greatest for captive drivers.

 

[esmith]

Yes. One piece of data is not enough. The actual problem may be one of supply and demand. The supply of workers does not appear to be high enough because the wages are not perceived to be worth the various downsides of trucking.

When was the last time you looked at the wage scale of over-the-road truckers?
Truck Driver salary in United States
Average base salary
Data source tooltip for average base salary.
527.3k salaries reported, updated at October 13, 2021
$70,363
per year
The average salary for a truck driver is $70,363 per year in the United States.

 

[Subduction Zone]

When was the last time you looked at the wage scale of over-the-road truckers?
Truck Driver salary in United States
Average base salary
Data source tooltip for average base salary.
527.3k salaries reported, updated at October 13, 2021
$70,363
per year
The average salary for a truck driver is $70,363 per year in the United States.

Considering the workload and responsibilities that seems rather low.

 

[esmith]

Considering the workload and responsibilities that seems rather low.

Median annual earnings of a high school grad is $38, 792.
Average starting salary for the college Class of 2020 was $55,260

Looks like a hardworking, responsible person might look at the job opprotunties; however a rookie CDL driver makes about $40,000 a year and is most likely van driving.

 

[esmith]

Pay has been rising. There's a limit how fast this
will be cuz a company can't increase its costs so
quickly that it becomes less competitive. Inertia, eh.

On my recent trip I talked to a truck driver at a rest
stop. He said that some independent truckers have
recently have experienced some idle days. Perhaps
the demand is greatest for captive drivers.

The problem about independent owner/oporators could be attributed to policies like Califfornia's AB5 bill
https://www.investopedia.com/california-assembly-bill-5-ab5-4773201

 

[Revoltingest]

The problem about independent owner/oporators could be attributed to policies like Califfornia's AB5 bill
https://www.investopedia.com/california-assembly-bill-5-ab5-4773201

I doubt it. Independents own their own highway
tractors, & often the trailers. This really makes
them a business...not an employee.

 

[epronovost]

Drivers with a CDL and are undered the age of 21 can not drive interstate , but can drive the length of CA and TX, to name a few states.
Supposedly, the federal government has known for months that one of the major issues in the supply line is the lack of truck drivers. So, riddle me this why hasn't the Dept of Transportation done something about it? Is it because the Secretary of Transportation has been on maturnity leave for the past 8 weeeks and hasn't brought this problem up or maybe the supply chain problem hadn't reached the critical political point.
At least there is now a bill in the Senate, thanks to Senator Deb Fischer, that would remedy this problem.
Bill Would Allow Interstate Trucking Licenses For 18 Year Olds - Lowest Price Traffic School Laws & Leadership Blog

Considering the average age of truck drivers in the US is 47 years old, would allowing 18 to 20 years drivers really help? There isn't a lot of young drivers in the first place and it could be a shrinking domain of work as self-driving technology develop themselves in the next 15 years. That doesn't make it very attractive for young people searching for a career.

 

[Revoltingest]

Considering the average age of truck drivers in the US is 47 years old, would allowing 18 to 20 years drivers really help? There isn't a lot of young drivers in the first place and it could be a shrinking domain of work as self-driving technology develop themselves in the next 15 years. That doesn't make it very attractive for young people searching for a career.

There'll still be a role for drivers who do more than drive,
eg, flatbeds, lowboys. Those drivers make more per mile
cuz skill is required to load the trailers. The profession
won't go away...just see less need for humans.

 

[Kooky]

Drivers with a CDL and are undered the age of 21 can not drive interstate , but can drive the length of CA and TX, to name a few states.
Supposedly, the federal government has known for months that one of the major issues in the supply line is the lack of truck drivers. So, riddle me this why hasn't the Dept of Transportation done something about it? Is it because the Secretary of Transportation has been on maturnity leave for the past 8 weeeks and hasn't brought this problem up or maybe the supply chain problem hadn't reached the critical political point.
At least there is now a bill in the Senate, thanks to Senator Deb Fischer, that would remedy this problem.
Bill Would Allow Interstate Trucking Licenses For 18 Year Olds - Lowest Price Traffic School Laws & Leadership Blog

I thought that in America, the government doing stuff to solve problems was "socialism"?
Shouldn't the Market (PBUH) solve all these problems by itself?

 

[epronovost]

There'll still be a role for drivers who do more than drive,
eg, flatbeds, lowboys. Those drivers make more per mile
cuz skill is required to load the trailers. The profession
won't go away...just see less need for humans.

fair enough, but I am still worried by the difficulty to recruit new drivers. 47 years old on average for a job that doesn't require long studies or a vast experience is a lot.

 

[PureX]

Drivers with a CDL and are undered the age of 21 can not drive interstate , but can drive the length of CA and TX, to name a few states.
Supposedly, the federal government has known for months that one of the major issues in the supply line is the lack of truck drivers. So, riddle me this why hasn't the Dept of Transportation done something about it? Is it because the Secretary of Transportation has been on maturnity leave for the past 8 weeeks and hasn't brought this problem up or maybe the supply chain problem hadn't reached the critical political point.
At least there is now a bill in the Senate, thanks to Senator Deb Fischer, that would remedy this problem.
Bill Would Allow Interstate Trucking Licenses For 18 Year Olds - Lowest Price Traffic School Laws & Leadership Blog

Do you really think letting teenagers drive trucks across state lines is going to solve the supply chain problem???

Trucking companies are having trouble hiring drivers because they won't pay a decent wage, and workers are sick of it. So now they want to be able to hire kids. This is the republican idea of a solution. They'll do ANYTHING to avoid paying a decent wage.

 

[sun rise]

If we really want to solve this problem, go down to the Mexican border, look for people with driver's licenses and offer them a job leading to a green card if they learn English and have a good record for a few years.

 

[Left Coast]

I thought that in America, the government doing stuff to solve problems was "socialism"?
Shouldn't the Market (PBUH) solve all these problems by itself?

Only per the most ridiculous caricatures of capitalism and socialism.

 

[Kooky]

Only per the most ridiculous caricatures of capitalism and socialism.

Admittedly, American political discourse does often look like a caricature of itself from the outside.

 

[PureX]

I thought that in America, the government doing stuff to solve problems was "socialism"?
Shouldn't the Market (PBUH) solve all these problems by itself?

The "market" solves the problem by bribing our politicians to let them hire kids to drive trucks because they're too greedy to pay a man to do it.

Now THAT'S the American way!

 

[Kooky]

The "market" solves the problem by bribing our politicians to let them hire kids to drive trucks because they're too greedy to pay a man to do it.

Sounds like they already found a market solution, then.