Shortage In Commercial Truck Drivers Harms Industry; Here’s How You Can Help

Under current federal regulations, truck drivers must be at least 21 years of age to obtain commercial drivers’ licenses in order to cross state lines in their rigs. Most states, however, allow drivers from 18 to 21 years of age to obtain commercial licenses for driving within their state.

The obvious result of these conflicting rules is that a licensed commercial driver under the age of 21 must to stop his truck at the state line.

Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-Calif.) has introduced legislation that would address this problem by removing the federal regulation and permitting drivers from 18 to 21 years of age to obtain commercial licenses for interstate commerce. Rep. Hunter’s bill is H.R. 5358, the Developing Responsible Individuals for a Vibrant Economy (DRIVE Safe) Act. As the International Foodservice Distributors Association recently argued in a letter to Rep. Hunter that can be found here, the bill would help alleviate the current shortage of commercial truck drivers. (The National Association of Wholesalers made similar arguments in a letter that can be found here.)

If your business is impacted by the shortage of commercial drivers, the Metals Service Center Institute urges you to contact your representative in the U.S. House to tell him or her that you support H.R. 5358 and to ask them to cosponsor the legislation.

Click here for contact information for every member of the House. More information about H.R. 5358 is available here.