FMCSA gives green light to under-21 truck driver pilot program

In a controversial move that almost certainly will rile up anti-truck safety advocates, the federal government is moving ahead with a three-year pilot program that will allow some under-21 drivers to work in interstate commerce.

The move by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) is not without some controversy. FMCSA released details of a 60-day public comment period on the Friday before Labor Day, the last major driving holiday of the summer.

Advocates say it’s a way to expand the pool of potential drivers in an era when the industry may be as many as 100,000 drivers short due to retirements, stringent drug- and alcohol-testing and poor pay. Besides, they say, under-21 drivers already are driving heavy-duty trucks in intrastate commerce.

But even some within the trucking industry say it’s risky. They and safety advocates point to the generally poor driving records of under-21 drivers when it comes to automobile safety. Operating an 80,000-pound truck in difficult driving conditions may be too much except for the best-trained, under-21 drivers.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, in an analysis of under-21 auto drivers, found that for drivers aged 18 and 19 there was a 2.3 times greater chance of those drivers being involved in a fatal crash than drivers 20 and over. There was a 3.5 times chance of those younger drivers being involved in a police-reported crash, the IIHS said.

Anti-truck groups such as Citizens for Reliable and Safe Highways (CRASH) claim the roads are getting more dangerous, not safer. Truck crash fatalities have increased 41% from 2009 to 2017, CRASH said, while truck occupant fatalities are at their highest levels since 1989. Meanwhile, American Trucking Associations counters with the argument that truck rate fatalities have been consistently falling since the crackdown on drunk driving and other safety initiatives.

ATA thanked the Trump administration, including Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao, and the FMCSA for moving ahead with a proposed pilot program.
“This is a significant step toward improving safety on our nation’s roads, setting a standard for these drivers that is well beyond what 49 states currently require,” ATA President and CEO Chris Spear said in a statement.

Spear called the under-21 population “an amazing block of talent with unlimited potential” and added, “If our freedom can be defended from tyranny around the world by our men in women in uniform, many well below the age of 21, then it’s quite clear that we can train that same group how to safely and responsibly cross state lines in a commercial vehicle.”

The pilot program is modeled on the bipartisan DRIVE Safe Act,  legislation strongly supported by ATA and more than 90 other industry groups and currently co-sponsored by 144 congressmen and 34 senators.

“For years, ATA has made the case to the Transportation Department and lawmakers that trucking can safely bring these younger professional drivers into our industry fully,” ATA Executive Vice President for Advocacy Bill Sullivan said. “With strong support from both sides of the aisle and on and off the Hill, it is clear that moving forward with a pilot program is an important step to bringing 18-, 19- and 20-year-olds into our industry safely and responsibly.”

Trucking executives cited by ATA also backed the pilot.

“As an industry, we need to find new ways to connect with potential new drivers,” ATA Chairman Randy Guillot, president of Triple G Express and Southeastern Motor Freight, said in a statement. “By providing young people the opportunity to fully participate in the financially rewarding and dynamic world of trucking, we will be in a better position to bring in a new generation of valuable talent to our industry.”

FMCSA hopes there are enough conditions to its narrow pilot program to satisfy the naysayers. FMCSA is seeking public comments on a new pilot program to allow drivers aged 18, 19, and 20 to operate commercial motor vehicles in interstate commerce.

“This action will allow the Agency to carefully examine the safety, feasibility, and possible economic benefits of allowing 18 to 20-year-old drivers to operate in interstate commerce,” FMCSA Deputy Administrator Wiley Deck said in a statement.

“Safety is always FMCSA’s top priority, so we encourage drivers, motor carriers, and interested citizens to review this proposed new pilot program and share their thoughts and opinions,” Deck added.

FMCSA’s Federal Register notice requests comments through Nov. 4 on a new pilot program that would allow younger drivers to operate in interstate commerce. 

There are two categories of potential under-21 drivers for the program:

•  18 to 20-year-old commercial driver’s license (CDL) holders who operate trucks in interstate commerce while taking part in a 120-hour probationary period and a subsequent 280-hour probationary period under an apprenticeship program established by a trucking company; and
• 19 and 20-year-old commercial drivers who have operated trucks in intrastate commerce for a minimum of one year and 25,000 miles. The study group drivers would not be allowed to operate vehicles hauling passengers or hazardous materials or special configuration vehicles

Currently, FMCSA says 49 states and the District of Columbia already allow 18 to 20-year-old CDL holders to operate CMVs in intrastate commerce—meaning under-21 drivers may currently drive within state borders. Those would include such long-distance routes as from Houston to El Paso or from Miami to Tallahassee.

Earlier in 2018, FMCSA announced the details of a Military Commercial Driver Pilot Program, which allows certain 18 to 20-year-olds with military training to operate CMVs in interstate commerce.

At the end of each pilot program, FMCSA must report to Congress on what effects the program has had on overall truck safety as well as any conclusions or recommendations.

In an earlier comment period on this topic, FMCSA said it received more than 1,100 comments—504 in favor, and 486 against.