Qualified truck drivers are in short supply. Let’s address it.

Congress is on the right track. The DRIVE-Safe Act (Developing Responsible Individuals for a Vibrant Economy) has been introduced in Congress.  The bill makes sense.

Basic economics tells us two options can bring a labor market into balance.  One option:  increase wages to motivate more people to become qualified truck drivers.  Another option:  reduce unwarranted barriers to qualify as a professional trucker.

Today the federally specified minimum age is an overly stringent limitation.  The federal government requires interstate drivers to be 21 years of age.  Many states set the age requirement for intrastate truck drivers at 18.  Some are lower than that.

DRIVE-Safe opens opportunities to qualify as an interstate trucker right about the time most teens graduate from high school.  Those not headed for college need to earn a living and begin a career.  They can apprentice as a plumber, an electrician, join a union and start earning seniority, or any number of tracks as a skilled practitioner in the trades.  For some reason the feds prohibit high school graduates from becoming a long-haul trucker for another three years.

Call your Senator, call your Representative, and ask them to support the DRIVE-Safe Act [S. 3352 + H.R. 5358]