Legislation introduced Tuesday by U.S. Rep. Brian Mast (R-FL) would eliminate age restrictions on truckers as a way to “keep the supply chain moving,” the congressman said.
The Ceasing Age-Based (CAB) Trucking Restrictions Act would allow truckers between 18 and 20 years old to transport goods across state lines. Eliminating the age restriction, Mast said, would maximize the labor force and add to the supply chain workforce.
“For the better part of two years, families have struggled to get the goods they need, from baby formula to toilet paper, and Joe Biden has failed to fix it,” Rep. Mast said. “House Republicans are ready to get to work and deliver for the American people. The first bill I am introducing this Congress keeps our promise to fix the supply chain by cutting through red tape that keeps qualified drivers off the road.”
Currently, many states allow truck drivers between the ages of 18 to 20 to transport goods within state boundaries. Federal law, however, requires truckers engaged in interstate transportation to be at least 21 years old. The law defines picking up goods from a port as interstate transportation, even if the port is located in the same state as the distribution center or final destination. Mast said the law prevents younger truck drivers from transporting cargo off of ships at overloaded ports, even if they drive semi-trucks elsewhere within the port’s state.
Mast was joined by 19 other Republican members of Congress in introducing the bill.