
Oct 1, 2015 ● Miranda Pennington
18-year-olds Going OTR: Are They Ready? Are You?
The demands on the trucking industry are increasing every year—many companies are running at full capacity with daily shipments in need of experienced, licensed CDLs to pull their weight. Might the 18-20 year old set offer the potential to fulfill urgent delivery schedules?
While most states require drivers to be 21 to acquire their commercial driver's licenses, some do allow 18-20 year olds to take regional trucking jobs. But they can't cross state lines, and there's a frustrating lag between graduating from high school, getting your CDL, and being eligible to take most jobs in the industry. Many young drivers move on to careers that are more readily available, which means the industry is missing out.