young drivers

Trucks and teen motorists a dangerous mix, NTSB panelists say

Rising costs related to inexperienced drivers and distracted driving are behind a new effort to educate the public — particularly teen drivers — about sharing the road with truckers.

“Car drivers — light vehicles — cause about 75% of the crashes between themselves and large vehicles,” said National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) board member Bruce Landsberg, speaking Wednesday on an NTSB-sponsored webinar, Sharing the Roads with Commercial Vehicles.

The costs of these crashes to crash-victim...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/trucks-and-teen-motorists-a-dangerous-mix-ntsb-panelists-say

Apprenticeship pilot program introducing interstate trucking to younger drivers

Do teenagers belong in a big rig? That’s the age-old debate. One side says yes, pointing to the driver shortage, while the other disagrees from a safety perspective.

But it appears that the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is ready to put it to the test, giving those fresh out of high school a chance to prove they’re ready for interstate commerce.

Motor carriers on the yea side of the debate have the opportunity to take action through the Safe Driver Apprenticeship Pilot Program (SDAP),...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/apprenticeship-pilot-program-introducing-interstate-trucking-to-younger-drivers

Integrating younger adults into trucking careers — Taking the Hire Road

Amid the well-known driver shortage, industry experts have mentioned making specific strides toward recruiting the younger generation, adults 18 to 25, into trucking careers.

A recent American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI) report outlines the best practices for luring and retaining young drivers.

Count Alex Leslie, research analyst with ATRI, as a believer in this newfound prioritization of the recruitment of younger employees. 

“We have an aging driver workforce, with the majority of...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/integrating-younger-adults-into-trucking-careers-taking-the-hire-road

Growing numbers of teens see trucking as attractive career

Trucking’s age-old problem has been just that — the age of its drivers. 

The median age of a truck driver is 46, which is five years older than the national average for all workers. As more and more drivers — especially those in their 60s and 70s, of whom there are many on the road today — decide to retire from commercial trucking, America’s highways are in danger of becoming a lot quieter.

This may sound good to commuters, until they realize that almost everything in their lives is shipped via...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/growing-numbers-of-teens-see-trucking-as-attractive-career

DRIVE-Safe Act proponents call for greater trust in trained younger drivers

Talks of labor shortages and truck driver safety are common themes at industry conferences, in newsletters, editorials and even watercooler conversations — with good reason. 

But it’s almost as if labor and driver safety were inversely related: On one hand, relaxing regulations to make trucking easier to enter is decried as a threat to safety. On the other hand, the industry can’t grow unless drivers have more freedom.

Can’t both issues be addressed at the same time?

The Developing Responsible...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/drive-safe-act-proponents-call-for-greater-trust-in-trained-younger-drivers

Attracting a new generation to trucking — Taking the Hire Road

Lindsey Trent is determined to see fresh faces in freight. As founder of The Next Generation in Trucking Association, her efforts have made trucking an attractive career choice for younger generations nationwide. 

Trent discussed the industry’s recruiting challenges and how to best reach high school and college-age students with DriverReach founder and CEO Jeremy Reymer on this week’s episode of Taking the Hire Road.

The Next Generation in Trucking Association is a nonprofit trade group aiming to...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/attracting-a-new-generation-to-trucking-taking-the-hire-road