I work professionally in a field that is directly impacted by the issues described here. For years I have refused to accept the whole “truck driver shortage” nonsense at face value.
At a high enough pay, there will not be a driver shortage.
That said, I would be uncomfortable with an 18 year old new driver behind the wheel of a tractor trailer. I would be much more comfortable with pairing a young driver with experienced driver for the first few years of apprenticeship, which defines “apprenticeship”.
I do too. As a lumber broker we have directly been impacted by the driver shortage over the last several years.
Generally, most truck drivers are underpaid.
Even today, in many places in the country, companies are paying between $22-25/hour for a truck driver.
It is a hard job. You are away from home.
However, when I ask the owners/dispatchers of actual trucking companies they all state the same reason as to why it is so difficult to find drivers:
THEY CAN NOT PASS A DRUG TEST
This is especially difficult in states like OR where ALL drugs are legal.
Why is this a concern for the owners of trucking companies?
A new tractor costs between $160K-200K.
The trailer being pulled cost another $75K.
The product on the trailer maybe worth another $100K
So, IF you were that owner of a trucking company would you want to be responsible for the liability insurance on a driver that can not pass a drug test when they are in your very expensive equipment.
This trucker issue is subterfuge to force quick acceptance of driverless trucks. Now that 5g rollout is underway, the permanent solution will be overnight long-haul trucks, graduating to daylight in short order. Humans will be last mile delivery. They are proposing 18yo so the accidents increase, leading for a cry for more automation. No logbooks, no breaks, no downtime . . . it’s the next perfect solution.