The U.S. is starting a test program to let 18-to-20-year-olds drive big rigs from state to state. Currently, truckers who cross state lines must be at least 21.
FILE - Tractor-trailer trucks carrying goods along I-74 during the COVID-19 pandemic on May 4, 2020, in Veedersburg, Indiana. The federal government is moving forward with a plan to let teenagers drive big rigs from state to state in a test program.
But safety advocates say the program runs counter to data showing that younger drivers get in more crashes than older ones. They say it's unwise to let teenage drivers be responsible for rigs that can weigh 80,000 pounds and cause catastrophic damage when they hit lighter vehicles. Under the apprenticeship, younger drivers can cross state lines during 120-hour and 280-hour probationary periods, as long as an experienced driver is in the passenger seat. Trucks used in the program have to have an electronic braking crash mitigation system, a forward-facing video camera, and their speeds must be limited to 65 mph.
The program will run for up to three years, and the motor carrier agency has to turn in a report to Congress analyzing the safety record of the teen drivers and making a recommendation on whether the younger drivers are as safe as those 21 or older. Congress could expand the program with new laws.
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