Teen Truckers Spark Worry as Lower U.S. Age Limit Mulled

Drivers as young as 18 years old could be allowed to drive 80,000-pound trucks between states if Congress goes along with a proposal backed by the U.S. trucking industry that safety advocates say would be a disaster.

The plan, part of highway legislation now before the Senate, would greatly increase the number of teenagers behind the wheel of big rigs.

“We should be considering how to limit teen truck drivers rather than expanding them into such a dangerous program,” Jackie Gillan, president of Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety, told Bloomberg News July 22.

Many states permit 18-year-olds to drive ...