Earlier this month, Indiana Senator Mike Braun was among the eleven (11) members of the Senate to sign a joint letter addressed to the Deputy Administrator of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) requesting federal approval of commercial driving licensure for drivers as young as 18 years old.
Read the complete United States Senate letter here, dated November 3, 2021, which includes the following explanation for the Senators’ urgent request for teen truckers:
“…The truck driver shortage, coupled with the nation’s ongoing supply chain issues, has been extremely detrimental to the economy. If left unaddressed, inaction to grow America’s pool of truck drivers threatens to drive up shipping expenses, prolong delays, and burden already-strained consumers with additional costs. With these concerns in mind, we urge the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) to allow persons 18 years of age and older to obtain a commercial driver’s license (CDL) and operate commercial motor vehicles in interstate commerce to get American goods and services moving again.”
The next day, Pete Buttigieg as Secretary of the Department of Transportation, received a similar request from 80 members of the House of Representatives. Read the complete House of Representatives letter here, dated November 4, 2021, where 80,000 commercial truck drivers are reported to be needed in our country’s interstate trucking industry in order to meet supply chain demands (citing an October 2021 news story from CNN)(footnote 1).
It is expected that this Congressional correspondence will put even more pressure on the Transportation Department to expedite allowing applicants as young as 18 years old to be licensed as commercial truck drivers authorized to drive large trucks (big rigs, semis, tractor-trailers, 18-wheelers) across state lines and along the interstates of Illinois and Indiana.
Commercial Truck Drivers and the American Supply Chain
The contributions of our commercial truck drivers cannot be underestimated. Everyone in Indiana and Illinois, as well as the rest of the country, depends upon truckers to transport and deliver all sorts of goods and necessities, from gas for our cars and food for our tables as well as Christmas gifts for our kids.
How dependent are all of us on the American Trucker? The American Trucking Association reports that commercial trucks deliver approximately three-quarters (72.5%) of the nation’s freight.
The need to have professional truck drivers behind the wheels of large trucks delivering freight is clear. However, for many safety advocates as well as those who represent truck crash victims and their loved ones in the aftermath of a severe or fatal truck crash, there remains a real concern over having teenagers driving commercial semis and tractor-trailers in interstate commerce.
The Rising Number of Fatal Truck Crashes Before Teen Truckers Hit the Roads
The danger of a fatal accident involving a commercial rig in this country is already too high. The National Safety Council statistics show that there was a 43% jump in fatal truck crashes from 2010 to 2019.
In June 2021, the NSC joined with several other respected safety groups in a letter sent to the United States Senate voicing concerns over federal legislation that would open the door to teen truckers, writing in part (emphasis added):
“Since 2015, when Congress enacted the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act, (FAST Act, Pub. L. 114-94), 184,000 people have been killed and 13.7 million injured in highway crashes (2015-2019). Nearly 24,000 of these deaths and 711,000 injuries were caused by truck crashes. The preventable toll on our roads is not abating. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) recently released 2020 preliminary estimates revealing 38,680 people were killed in motor vehicle crashes, marking the highest number of traffic fatalities since 2007 and a seven percent increase over 2019….”
For more on the danger of a fatal truck crash, read:
- Fatal Truck Crashes and Semi Truck Brake Failures
- Jackknife Semi-Truck Crash: Deadly Danger on Indiana and Illinois Roads
- Fatal Truck Crashes in Icy Road Conditions: Truck Drivers’ Right to Refuse to Drive on Ice
- Truck Parking and Fatal Semi Truck Crashes
- Truck Driver Drug Use in Indiana and Illinois: High Risk of a Fatal Truck Crash Caused by Impaired Trucker.
The worry here is that young and inexperienced teenagers are going to be given the responsibility of operating a heavy and huge truck when there is an unaddressed problem of too many fatal truck crashes involving older and more experienced truckers on the roads.
The Dangers of Teen Truckers: Risk of Teen Drivers Behind the Wheel
Teen truckers are allowed to operate within state lines in certain states, depending upon the individual state’s licensure requirements. Accordingly, there is already a history of teenager truck crash data to study in order to determine the dangers of placing teen truckers into interstate commerce.
The Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety has explained the concerns of placing teenagers behind the wheel of commercial motor vehicles (“CMVs”) in interstate commerce. Read, “Statement of Cathy Chase, President of Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety, On Dangerous Proposals to Allow “Teen Truckers” to Operate in Interstate Commerce,” issued by the AHAS on May 20, 2019.
Included with the statement were the following revelations (emphasis added):
- CMV drivers under the age of 19 are four times more likely to be involved in fatal crashes.
- CMV drivers between the ages of 19-20 are six times more likely to be involved in fatal crashes.
- Younger drivers are more likely to be involved in fatal crashes because they lack driving experience and tend to take greater risks.
- Development of portions of the brain vital to decision making, specifically the pre-frontal cortex, may not be fully reached until one’s mid-20s.
Statistics show that teenagers who are allowed to drive commercial motor vehicles within state lines are more likely to be involved in a fatal truck crash. How can the entry of teen truckers into federal interstate commerce mean they will pose less risk of harm for themselves or others on the roads with them?
Justice for Victims of Teen Truck Driver Accidents in Indiana and Illinois
With the coordinating correspondence from both houses of Congress to the Department of Transportation and its Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration favoring the introduction of Teen Truckers into interstate commercial routes as soon as possible, it seems likely that Indiana and Illinois will have teenaged commercial truck drivers on our interstate routes in the near future.
It is wise for everyone to be aware of the reality that the recognized alarming rise in fatal truck crashes is not likely to be reduced or curtailed by adding novice teenaged drivers to interstate commercial truck routes.
On behalf of the teenager behind the wheel of that big rig or semi, as well as occupants of that truck and those on the roads alongside it, we must be alert to the dangers of these large vehicles moving on our roadways, sometimes at high speeds, and the risks of severe or fatal injuries in a semi-truck crash.
For more, read:
- Teen Driver Accidents: Causes and Consequences
- Teen Drivers Legally Licensed and Still Dying Behind the Wheel: Car Crashes Number One Cause of Teen Deaths (14- 18 Year Olds)
- Young Drivers Working on the Job Driving Car, Truck, Van Have Highest Work-Related Death Rates: New Federal Fact Sheets from NIOSH
- Will Teen Drivers 18 & 20 Years Old Be Driving Semi-Trucks on Indiana and Illinois Interstates?
The state laws of Indiana and Illinois do provide avenues for justice to those who have been severely injured or killed in a commercial motor vehicle accident. Their loved ones may also have legal redress in these cases. Claims based upon negligence, product liability, workers’ compensation, and wrongful death may be available against those who have breached their legal duty of care and safety.
Teen truckers look to be a reality for Indiana and Illinois roadways. Please be careful out there!
