A lot of American anxiety over the last few years has been focused on the shortage of truck drivers in this country. Well, this week Congress took a step towards alleviating that issue. Florida Representative Brian Mast (R) introduced the Ceasing Age-Based Trucking Restrictions Act (CAB) on Tuesday. This bill intends to remove age-based restrictions on truck drivers. It would open the door for more 18–20 year-old truckers in the U.S.
The CAB bill is Mast’s first in the 118th Congress. It comes after delays to the new Congressional session due to the House’s inability to elect a Speaker. Now that California’s Kevin McCarthy (R) is in power, the house can get down to actual business. If this bill is any indication, then Congress is serious about addressing the critical shortage of truckers in this country.
The CAB Act would allow teenagers to pick up port loads.
Currently, the law only allows young truckers to haul intrastate loads. However, due to a legal oversight, picking up a load from a port is considered interstate trucking. Therefore, America’s ports are missing out on a lot of potential labor thanks to this mishap. Only truckers who are 21 or older are allowed to pick up port loads. Throughout the last few years, America’s ports have struggled to keep up with demand, thanks in no small part to the trucker shortage. Clearly, something had to give.
Enter the CAB Act. While this act does not permit 18–20 year-old truckers to drive across state lines, it does permit them to pick up port lads. This could help ease the bottlenecks that have contributed to wide-ranging issues like inflation and excessive delays in goods. Rep. Mast, who represents part of southeastern Florida, knows just how important this is. After all, his own constituents include many port workers and truckers.
Of course, there’s a reason why younger truckers weren’t allowed to pick up port loads. Many truckers consider this work to be more dangerous than other types of hauling. However, given the needs of the country, this change seems necessary and overdue.
