The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association last week said it is "strongly opposed" to lowering the CDL age requirement below the age of 21, which the federal government has proposed to consider through a pilot program.

Last week was the deadline for comments on the proposal, which has been pushed by the Truckload Carriers Assn. In its comments on the proposal, OOIDA maintained that the suggestion to bring in 18-year-old drivers is an attempt by carriers to survive in a highly competitive industry by recruiting cheaper labor. OOIDA disputes claims of a serious shortage of drivers and says there is, instead, a lack of human resource strategies to take advantage of the current pool.
"With few exceptions, trucking rates and, therefore driver compensation, have remained stagnant over the last 20 years. This is not a new problem," says OOIDA President Jim Johnston. "At the same time, the amount of uncompensated time that drivers are required to donate to the job, like wasted time at the shipping and receiving facilities, has reached unconscionable levels."
OOIDA pointed to statistics showing higher accident rates among this age group as reason for the government not to go ahead with the pilot study.
Under the terms of the proposal, each applicant driver would be subject to a minimum of 48 weeks of intensive classroom training, driving instruction, and supervision and would have to reach the age of 19 before beginning solo driving. (See Feds Ask for Comments on Younger Driver Proposal," 2/20/01.)