Teen Truckers

A common trend among young people today is forgoing the traditional college to corporate career path and entering a trade instead.  The reasoning behind this varies, whether it be the fact that college is exponentially more expensive than when their parents enrolled, or the benefits of a degree are exponentially lesser than when their parents received theirs.  Trades like automotive repair, plumbing, or carpentry can be far more lucrative than the start of a corporate career path.  “Now, what do those aforementioned careers have to do with logistics” you may be asking?  Well, nothing!  That’s why this blog post is about a new initiative some US high schools are taking, allowing interested students to take time out of their school day to earn their CDLs. 

This service is courtesy of the Next Generation in Trucking Association, which was founded by Lindsey Trent in 2021.  Since then, the group has partnered with 50 schools across 15 states.  Although trucking is usually seen as an “older person’s job,” it’s becoming time for the next generation to step up to the plate.  Or gas pedal, I guess.  According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, 240,000 trucking jobs will open each year over the next decade, undoubtedly a good thing for these teen truckers. 

One of the few pleasant things about modern society is the general embrace of non-traditional ways through life.  In other words, recognizing that the school to college to corporate job pipeline definitely doesn’t work for everyone.  With programs like these, kids interested will have a guaranteed career after school, with skillsets that translate to real life.  Let’s hope more teen truckers rise through the ranks as the years go by, because the world needs them. 

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Works Cited: High schools driving students to trucking with training classes – FreightWaves