Prime, Werner, UPS among 9 fleets in pilot program for under-21 drivers

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Commercial Carrier Journal (CCJ)  /  October 31, 2019

Nine trucking companies are currently participating in the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s Under-21 Military CDL Pilot Program that allows 18-20-year-olds with the military equivalent to a CDL to drive across state lines.

A new FMCSA website lists the carriers that are participating in the program and gives contact information for each so that military members can find and apply for interstate trucking jobs. Participating carriers include UPS Freight, Prime Inc., Werner Enterprises, Total Transportation of Mississippi, PI&I Motor Express, May Trucking, Lily Transportation, Gully Transportation and Golub Corporation. Trucking companies can still apply to participate in the pilot program here.

The Under-21 Military CDL Pilot Program is slated to run for up to three years. During the program, the safety records of participating drivers will be compared to the records of a control group of drivers ages 21-24 with CDLs and comparable training and experience driving trucks to determine if age is a critical safety factor.

DOT will use the information to present recommendations to Congress on whether the interstate driving age should be lowered or not in the future.

FMCSA is also considering expanding the pilot program to allow non-military-trained drivers under the age of 21 to participate. A comment period was open during the summer, but no further action has been taken yet.