18 to 20 year old driving a TRUCK??!!

[TowBot]

18 to 20 year old driving a TRUCK??!!

[TowZone]

Let's see some of you guys do something like this video for the towing industry.

 

Seriously the TikTokers are doing it yet not to this degree being seen on YouTube.

[yoBdaBenO]

Dad had me in a truck as soon as I could touch the pedals. I moved cars around the lot all day, darn it got hot out there. Old truck didn't have working Air and Dad wasn't fixing it. I was both said and happy when he sold the bed and scrapped the chassis.

[rreschran]

Hey Wayne ... I made it all the way through the video. 

 

I'm not so sure this is a great video promoting the trucking industry let alone for tow truck operators. Like YodaBen comments, plenty of towers were the product of teenager's being raised in their mom's n' pop's tow company starting out as beginners. Stuff like responsibility, being on-time, respectability, accountability, learnability, etc, are associated factors that were taught by responsible parents. No matter what the trade or profession ... kids either have it or they don't right?

 

But, if the applicant can go to war to fight for their country ... they should be able to get into a truck. Not every 18 year old is irresponsible or lacking of skills. Proper training and guidance is the  key to anyone's success fi you have the patience to see it ... and then follow it up. Perhaps the responsibility is on that of the mentor and their ability to motivate, demonstrate and initiate?     R.

[brian991219]

I strongly support both the DRIVE Safe Act (allowing 18-20 year old with prior military driving experience to engage in interstate commerce) as well as the new pilot program the FMCSA is contemplating allowing all 18-20 year olds to engage in interstate commerce under specific conditions. Our industry, and many other vocation fleet operations like plumbers, landscapers and construction companies, desperately need to capture the 18-20 year olds before they find other careers. Also, the towing industry is mostly family and it sucks not being able to put your son or daughter into a truck because of their age although you can hire a moron off the street just because they are 21. We need to be able to legally use our younger workers if they wish to enter the transportation industry.

 

I am from Pennsylvania and reside within 10 miles of both New York and New Jersey, have most of my life. At 18 I obtained my CDL-A with tank, double/triple trailers, passenger and school bus endorsements and was legally able to drive across state lines for my day job as a school bus driver (exempt from the 21 year old restriction as school activities are not "commerce") but for my part time job I was not legal to take a Chevy C-30 wrecker across the state line because it was over 10,000 pounds gross weight rating which made it a commercial vehicle and subject to the Federal regulations that prohibited anyone under 21 from engaging in interstate commerce.

 

It gets even more confusing when you properly apply the definition of interstate commerce, it precludes 18-20 year olds from driving most trucks larger than 10,000 pounds for any business purpose because the driver does not need to leave the state, only the cargo must come from or be going out of state. Even when the driver only handles the local portion of a pickup or delivery they still must be 21 or older to be legal!

 

Further, assuming one can actually find true intrastate only freight, at 18 I had a class A and could drive 350 miles to the west, turn around just before the Ohio border and drive back 350 miles legally but could not take the same truck 11 miles east of me because it involved crossing a state line. How in the world does any of this make any sense?

 

The average teenager attracted to trucking is going to be more mature than the typical teenager, most likely they will have a family connection. I would be willing to wager that the average 18-20 year old that goes thru the trouble of obtaining their CDL will have a better record 5 years in than the 35 year old that has job hopped and took a trucking job because they couldn't fit in anywhere else.

[rreschran]

Who ever would have thought I could have learned something from the TV? Mr. Miyagi said ... "No such thing as bad student ... only bad teacher."

 

I think Mr. Miyagi emphasized the importance of good teaching while requiring Danielsan to take advantage of his words and the value of life's lessons.       R.

[TowZone]

Simple lesson can be taken from Entertainment Media.

 

Mr. Miyagi - Wax On Wax Off

 

 

Master Yoda - Use The Force