18-year-olds to work in the summer to lift and carry merchandise. If he trusts them to lift, he trusts them to drive once they’ve been properly trained. For Levine, it’s hypocritical for the


nation to rely on young people to defend the country but not allow them to drive a truck even short distances across state lines. “Do I trust an 18-year-old to go to


Afghanistan, stand up and protect our country, and possibly get killed? Yes,” he said. “We can’t send them with a truck, yet we can send them into battle zones and trust them with some of the most sophisti- cated technological and dangerous equip- ment on earth. I’m a vet, so it just irritates me.” Ultimately, Levine said the motor carrier


industry should be the judge of whether a driver under age 21 should be allowed to drive a short distance across state lines. After all, it has as much of an interest in safety as the rest of the public, if not more. “We’re not out to disservice the public or


be unsafe,” he said. “My number one priori- ty around here is safety. IF they’d let us come up with the regulations and guide- lines, with their approval, I think it would work a whole lot better than it does today.” Terminal’s Huesman agrees. Given the


chance, he would hire drivers ages 18-20 – but only the right ones. Despite the never- ending driver shortage, his company already combs through its applications and rejects many of them, with age having nothing to do with it. “That’s sort of the issue,” he said. “There


are mature people, and there are immature, and that’s up to us to evaluate each individ- ual when we’re doing an interview and background checks, which we do. No mat- ter who it is, we’re checking them out. We want to know what kind of individual we are hiring. Just because you’re only 18 or 20 years old doesn’t mean that a 30-year old is any more mature than you are.” BTW


Note: At press time, this bill passed the House, was entering conference for a final vote and expected to reach the President’s desk by Thanksgiving.


www.mmtanet.com


CHAIRMAN’SMESSAGE Continued from page 4


I represent one of the largest trucking companies in the country. While running a large company has its own unique challenges, the resources that Cowan Systems has available are not typical of many of the small businesses that make up this industry. As a result, I plan to work with the MMTA staff to expand education and training opportunities for the members.


We are already moving ahead with a plan for a free training on Dec. 3 to help members better understand how to read financial statements. Another area I see that many small companies struggle with is understanding the contracts they sign with shippers. Contract nuances and language can prove devastating to a small carrier, which can go out of business if it signs a deal only to discover it will not be paid for 120 days after completing the


work. MMTA will be pursuing a seminar on common contract pitfalls as well.


Lastly, I hope to explore ways to make companies better aware of the many discounted products and services offered by the Association. Often members can save far more on tolls, tires, cell phones, etc. than it costs to join the organization. These initiatives lower your costs while also benefitting MMTA.


Some of my greatest rewards while working at Cowan have been being a part of our company’s growth and witnessing the personal successes of our employees. It is my hope to contribute to an environment this year for the trucking industry whereby we can all experience similar successes.


Dennis Morgan MMTA Chairman


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