To the Editor:The current truck driver shortage is rooted in sweatshop working conditions imposed by the trucking industry, not a lack of qualified drivers. Nonunion truck drivers, about 97 percent of all drivers, are exempt from a provision of our country’s most fundamental worker protection law, the Fair Labor Standards Act, that guarantees payment of overtime wages. Truck driving is one of the most dangerous jobs in the United States, risking the lives of truckers and all road users. A study found that truck drivers ages 19 to 20 are six times more likely to be involved in a fatal crash than all truck drivers. Swift, whose son was killed by a teenage truck driver, is co-chair of Parents Against Tired Truckers.

Source: International New York Times November 20, 2021 22:33 UTC