* Are older commercial truck drivers causing more danger on nation's highways?
--- America’s trucking industry is facing a severe driver shortage. One estimate says about 48,000 drivers are needed to move 70 percent of the nation’s goods... Companies are aggressively recruiting retirees. Drivers more than 65 years old make up about 10 percent of commercial vehicle operators in the U.S.... A five month investigation by CBS News looks at how the increase in older drivers translates to potential danger on the nation’s highways... This trend is a result of the recent downturn in the economy... Individuals are working well past the retirement age of 65. But as the industry has changed, the rules of the roads have not kept up with the times -- raising the question: Is more screening needed for commercial drivers?... A CBS News analysis of crash data (see video) reveals a 19 percent increase in accidents involving commercial truck and bus drivers in their 70s, 80s and even 90s, in just the last three years. From 2013 to 2015, there were more than 6,636 involving elderly drivers in 12 states alone... The aviation industry is also facing a shortage of pilots, but it has a mandatory retirement age of 65... An association representing independent truck drivers said, while there are more commercial drivers over 70, “the greater majority of truck-related crashes are not caused by truckers, but are instead caused by other drivers” ...
(Photo: Truck accident in Binghamton, New York) -- CBS47/Fox30, by Kris Van Cleave - 18 Oct 2016Labels: drivers' licences, trucking industry news USA
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