PRINTER'S NO. 2609
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
HOUSE RESOLUTION
No.
322
Session of
2024
INTRODUCED BY MULLINS, SCHLOSSBERG, SANCHEZ, MADDEN, POWELL,
HILL-EVANS, ECKER, HADDOCK, CERRATO, MALAGARI, D. WILLIAMS,
GREEN, KUTZ, STAMBAUGH, MENTZER AND CIRESI, FEBRUARY 20, 2024
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON TRANSPORTATION, FEBRUARY 20, 2024
A RESOLUTION
Urging the Congress of the United States to pursue legislative
remedies to allow individuals 18, 19 and 20 years of age with
a Commercial Driver's License to participate in interstate
commerce activities.
WHEREAS, In 2023, the American Trucking Associations
estimated that the trucking industry will be facing a shortage
of more than 78,000 qualified drivers, with an anticipated need
to hire 1.2 million new drivers over the next decade to meet
increasing freight demands; and
WHEREAS, The trucking industry employs about 340,000
Pennsylvanians, accounting for 1 in every 15 jobs in
Pennsylvania, with more than 87,000 of these jobs being heavy
and tractor-trailer truck drivers; and
WHEREAS, From 2018 through 2045, the United States Department
of Transportation estimates long-term growth in truck freight
activity in Pennsylvania of 51% in tonnage, 58% in ton-miles and
80% in value; and
WHEREAS, 49 CFR 391.11 of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety
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Regulations requires drivers to be at least 21 years of age to
operate in interstate commerce; however, 49 CFR 383.71 allows
drivers to obtain a commercial learner's permit at 18 years of
age and operate in intrastate commerce; and
WHEREAS, Forty-nine states, including Pennsylvania and
Washington, DC, allow under-21 Commercial Driver's License (CDL)
holders to operate Commercial Motor Vehicles (CMV), as defined
under 75 Pa.C.S. ยง 1603, in intrastate commerce; and
WHEREAS, The median age of an over-the-road truck driver is
46, which is four years older than the average United States
worker; and
WHEREAS, To preserve Pennsylvania's economic security and
supply-chain efficiency, the pool of qualified drivers must be
expanded while promoting appropriate safety standards and
performance criteria; and
WHEREAS, The trucking industry offers fulfilling careers with
family-sustaining salaries without the debt that often
accompanies a four-year college degree; and
WHEREAS, Career and technical education centers and at least
one high school in Pennsylvania offer CDL training to students
under 21 years of age, and other secondary education
institutions are considering it; and
WHEREAS, The Federal prohibition on CDL drivers under 21
years of age operating in interstate commerce limits the number
of jobs that are available to young drivers to grow their skills
in the trucking industry, and this limitation often forces them
to follow other career paths at a time when they are making
critical decisions about their future; and
WHEREAS, The Fixing America's Surface Transportation (FAST)
Act required an under-21 military CDL pilot program, which was
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limited to individuals who were members of the armed forces to
operate a CMV in interstate commerce; and
WHEREAS, The FAST Act was reauthorized by the Infrastructure
Investment and Jobs Act, which established a new Safe Driver
Apprenticeship pilot program to permit individuals 18, 19 and 20
years of age to operate a CMV in interstate commerce under
specific conditions; therefore be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania urge the Congress of the United
States to pursue legislative remedies that would allow
individuals 18, 19 and 20 years of age with a Commercial
Driver's License to participate in interstate commerce
activities; and be it further
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania promote appropriate safety
standards and performance criteria for the operation of CMVs by
individuals 18, 19 and 20 years of age for truck freight
purposes in interstate commerce; and be it further
RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution be transmitted to
the United States Secretary of Transportation, the Administrator
of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, the chair
and ranking member of the United States Senate Committee on
Commerce, Science and Transportation, the chair and ranking
member of the United States House Committee on Transportation
and Infrastructure, each member of Congress from Pennsylvania,
the Governor of Pennsylvania and the Secretary of Transportation
of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
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