Senate Bill Would Expand Big Rig Trucking by Teen Drivers Nationally

By | July 23, 2015

  • July 23, 2015 at 2:54 pm
    UW Supreme says:
    Well-loved. Like or Dislike:
    Thumb up 48
    Thumb down 3

    “Disaster” doesn’t even begin to describe how awful this bill is for the country. Crash data, especially on the insurance side, is readily available and tells the same exact story: inexperience kills, and the only way to gain experience is by aging. There are plenty of horrific accidents caused by older truckers, but this is just a bad idea all around.

    • July 23, 2015 at 3:50 pm
      Agent says:
      Well-loved. Like or Dislike:
      Thumb up 33
      Thumb down 0

      So are they going to order the Insurance companies writing big rig trucks to take underage drivers? The Senate must be operating in a different universe than the industry. I can see it now, some 18 year old tooling down the road with an 80,000 GVW big rig texting his girlfriend and running over several cars. A trucking company cannot possibly get enough for their loads to come out, especially after settling multi million dollar claims. UW, would you take them on and how much would you charge for the coverage?

      • July 23, 2015 at 4:21 pm
        Lauren CIC ARM says:
        Well-loved. Like or Dislike:
        Thumb up 19
        Thumb down 0

        I work at a large independent agency and know of NO standard markets that would accept a big-rig driver under 21 years old. I was shocked that 48 States allow this. The increased risk of a fatal accident isn’t even a double-digit increase, it is 4 to 6 TIMES!

        • July 23, 2015 at 6:10 pm
          Agent says:
          Well-loved. Like or Dislike:
          Thumb up 18
          Thumb down 0

          Lauren, it is one thing for a state to say it is allright, but quite another to get approval from a carrier to write it. Perhaps Progressive will do it for a “price” since they brag about being such a big truck writer. The quotes would be astronomical.

      • July 24, 2015 at 10:04 am
        UW Supreme says:
        Well-loved. Like or Dislike:
        Thumb up 10
        Thumb down 0

        Agent, I would never allow my company to be exposed to drivers under the age of 21. Even at 21 I balk a bit because of the shear fatigue these drivers face after being pushed to the limits to get to multiple destinations (all in a 24-hour period). As Tony stated below, driving these rigs is technically the “easy” part, but at 21 or younger, you’re more susceptible to distractions and feeling “bigger” than you really are on the road.

        I might be swayed to consider if there was some mechanism/app to at least lock a driver’s phone while in motion, aside for pre-set numbers that would be a “one-touch” option on their home screen (911, carrier, customer, etc). But that is only one piece of the puzzle. Maintaining a driver under 21 is a lot of work for a trucking company, and sadly, a lot of carriers out there suffer from morale/moral hazards to keep wheels moving and the money flowing.

        • July 24, 2015 at 10:44 am
          Agent says:
          Well-loved. Like or Dislike:
          Thumb up 14
          Thumb down 0

          UW, I can’t get approval from my Standards for 18 year olds even for local errand running in company vehicles. The track record of young drivers speak for themselves. A young man sows his wild oats driving and does not mature much until about 25 or if they get married and settle down. Never, ever put an 18 year old behind the wheel of a truck or you are asking for trouble.

  • July 23, 2015 at 6:39 pm
    tony says:
    Like or Dislike:
    Thumb up 1
    Thumb down 0

    I drive for a huge company. I am a union driver living in southern California. The work is brutal and the hours are long days, 12-16 hours with at least 10 hours off between shifts. The job is very physical and requires me to be 100% . Driving is the easy part, it is what happens at the business end of the trailer when you get to your destination. I have been in this industry for a long time and that is the biggest problem. Dealing with retailers , customers, parking, weather, time, crime, fatigue, and anything can happen. You need to focus on training companies to understand the hardships that drivers encounter. If you give me a hard time, ill get in the truck and leave.

  • July 27, 2015 at 12:10 am
    Captain Planet says:
    Like or Dislike:
    Thumb up 0
    Thumb down 0

    An underwriter will want to stay on top of these drivers’ records. I understand it is getting increasingly difficult to find drivers. My company has had to make many execptions on younger and older drivers as our insureds are just finding it difficult to gain any interest in these positions. Quarterly run MVRs and be quick to exclude when necessary. Also, driver surcharges can help a company stay ahead of this added exposure.

    • August 14, 2015 at 9:45 am
      Agent says:
      Like or Dislike:
      Thumb up 4
      Thumb down 0

      An underwriter would be stupid to allow any underage driver to operate a big rig and the trucking company owner would be equally stupid to risk his rig taking a chance that a very bad accident will happen and put him out of business.

  • July 27, 2015 at 9:46 am
    Crain says:
    Well-loved. Like or Dislike:
    Thumb up 13
    Thumb down 0

    I grew up in the trucking industry. I started on the docks in college moving freight. I paid my way through college doing this work. Multiple shifts with different companies was common, so I worked double shifts on days I was not in school. I started driving a local route when I was 21 and big rigs when 23. I could not wait to operate that big truck. You sit up high, have all that power and size. For once, you are the biggest force on the road. That was my perspective at that age. What a fouled up view of the world.

    I am a lucky one, no accidents and no one hurt. Luck was a lady to me at least three or four times. My opinion, it would be a one in a 100,000 person who is mature enough to drive those vehicles below the age of 25. If not for two wonderful mentors (older drivers who saw the need to teach me), I would have gotten into serious accidents at least twice. What they taught me saved me and others.

    • July 27, 2015 at 12:48 pm
      Agent says:
      Well-loved. Like or Dislike:
      Thumb up 12
      Thumb down 0

      Crain, one of my insureds runs a truck driving academy training drivers to operate 18 wheelers. It is quite a process getting them certified and licenced. He does not take any 18 year olds since they are about impossible to insure with most insurance companies. 23-25 or older is the age for trainees.

  • July 27, 2015 at 4:34 pm
    T Dub says:
    Like or Dislike:
    Thumb up 0
    Thumb down 1

    Yeah, but 18 y/os will work for what the trucking companies are willing to pay. Money first, lives second.

  • August 13, 2015 at 7:38 pm
    Joshua Brooks says:
    Like or Dislike:
    Thumb up 0
    Thumb down 0

    I really hope they let 18 year old go out of state im currently 16 and am gonna start trucking out of high school



Add a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

*