Don’t go down ATA’s under-21 road again, OOIDA says
The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association is warning lawmakers and regulators not to revisit the trucking industry’s long-running push to lower the interstate commercial driving age to 18.
In its message, OOIDA pointed to the American Trucking Associations’ past efforts on under-21 interstate trucking and urged decision-makers not to repeat that approach.
The issue matters to working drivers because any change to age rules for interstate trucking can affect safety standards, training expectations, pay and turnover dynamics, and how carriers staff entry-level seats.
Under current federal rules, drivers must be at least 21 to operate a commercial motor vehicle in interstate commerce. Proposals to open interstate driving to 18- to 20-year-olds have surfaced repeatedly over the years, typically framed around addressing driver availability while adding training requirements for younger drivers.
OOIDA’s stance keeps the focus on the broader debate that has divided the industry: whether changing the age threshold improves the workforce pipeline or creates new risks and pressures, especially for drivers who already question how entry-level programs are structured and enforced.