The subject comes up from time to time.

My view of it is this:

It really doesn't exist in this industry. Why? Because the median age of truckers is in the mid to high 50's....and in reality, many companies prefer older drivers as they are more steady, set in work habits, more mature, and have fewer home based emotional problems.

What is more important than age, is the persons abilities, and their general health and their ability to pass the DOT physical.

If a driver lives in a company's "hiring area".....then age will probably not be an issue. Maybe if the driver is over 75 or so, but otherwise, not really.

That is a good point Skywalker. I find it interesting how many people are getting into trucking after retirement as a second career, but I guess it makes sense. If your retired you might as well find a job that will allow you to bring along your other half (spouse), travel the country and get paid for it. When I was looking at schools one of the recruiters I spoke with said they just recently passed a student that was 69 years old.

The true reason is that with the 120% burn-rates at these outfits, they can't afford to be overly selective. Personally, I agree with you in that older workers are better and maybe the trucking company looks at it this way too.

But this is an extremely competitive business with razor-thin margins. And it costs more to insure an older worker than someone in their 20's, 30's, 40's. Additionally, there is a higher probablility of lost time due to injury, illness, etc.

That is one thing I keep forgetting to tell the recruiter when I try to get on with their company
I got my own health insurance from my Govt retirement so I don't need their health insurance plan and I won't pay for their health insurance plan. Just put the extra money in my paycheck and you can keep the premium you will not have to pay.

Actually if a driver can pass a physical and meets the company's hiring criteria, there is no reason they can be turned down. I remember when we hired an 81 year old driver, only had 1 year of experience and he started driving because he was retired and bored of sitting at home.