New York law allows younger CDL truck drivers to curb trucker shortage - 13WHAM-TV

Canandaigua, N.Y. (WHAM) -- A shortage of truck drivers is one of the biggest factors of the country's supply chain crisis.

Soon, help could be coming from a new state law.

It allows younger drivers, ages 18 to 20, to get a Class A Commercial Drivers License to drive the big rigs.

Prior to this, only those ages 21 and up could get CDL Class A license in the state.

This comes as the American Trucking Association estimates that the shortage will hit a historic high of just over 80,000 drivers this year.

That's a 30% increase from before the pandemic.

Ken Johnson is an advocate for the bill and the CEO of Leonard's Express in Canandaigua.

He believes the law will help curb the shortage and give opportunities to young adults.

"We feel that by having our young drivers able to get their CDL-A and start to process 18 years old, it opens our industry up to the younger folks," Johnson said.

Johnson says truck driver shortages have always been an issues for his trucking company as well as others.

"We've all been trying to find different ways and new ideas to find drivers and get them in more trucks," he says.

Johnson helped state lawmakers craft the new law which only allows drivers 18-20 years old to drive tractor trailers within state lines.

It also requires that candidates in that age range go through a more rigorous training than normal.

"We'll have older drivers mentor them. They'll spend many weeks riding alongside a senior driver that's been vetted for not only their own driving skills, but their ability to teach these young drivers so that they're set up to be a long and successful career in our industry," Johnson said.

However, the law is also drawing pushback.

The Truck Safety Coalition believes the new law will make roads less safe.

"Teen drivers are not as safe as older drivers," says Russ Swift, a board member with the Truck Safety Coalition. "[They are] too immature, not enough life experience. Not enough maturity to be able to stand up to the pressures that are going to be applied to them," he continued.

Johnson, however, believes it can be done safely and that it could be a good start to solving labor shortage and supply chain issues across the state.

"The more trucks that we can put on the road, you know, the more product we can get the store shelves and going to the consumers homes and so on then that benefits everybody," Johnson said.

It will take time before 18 to 20-year-olds can start signing up for CDL-A classes.

With the law now passed, the state department of transportation must now come up with the official rules and regulations to certify younger drivers.

source: https://13wham.com/news/local/new-york-law-allows-younger-cdl-truck-drivers-to-curb-trucker-shortage

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