16 Year Olds Driving Big Rigs

The guy over at Gentry and Sons has a YT channel. A few videos I’ve seen his son is young, around 10-12 and drives rigs around the shop and down the street. He helps work on trucks and is practicing with the forklift.

Not much to really research there, but it reminded how my father grew up on the family farm. My father drove a tractor around that age.

CM 59, KUDOS to you, good sir. You've got SO much integrity ingrained INTO you, man.

Share the Y/T link! Mine & Tom's kids were shifting tractors, the Dodge, and the Jeep . . . in pre teens, as well. Sadly, here in Ohio, if they don't take a 'driver's ed' class in school (and Franklin obviously couldn't with Covaxe...) they make it tough to get a Class C permit without giving some 'academy' five Benjamins!

Franklin (our youngest) has driven the Pete / 13 speed! Jamie, the daughter, digressed. She was kinda short, until recently.... LoL! She drove the Farmall, and the Jeep, though! Her first car was our Eclipse.. (we took chances!)

Now, she has a motorcycle, endorsed, and a Dodge Charger (smdh .. not on MY insurance, haha!) AND thinking about getting her CDL for her job at a metal fab company, is aspiring to go USAF (She's ROTC) , and become a pilot. (And her boyfriend looks like Ashton Kutcher!) << Better than Justin Bieber; don't judge, haha!

Back TO IT, man... SORRY to crash your post; my Tom learned on a family farm, too. He literally worked at 8 or 9, also. Alongside his dad; until he (dad) passed when Tom was almost 20. He caught cancer when Tom was 13, and gave him his 'post hole' diggers. They're still here. I never met the man!

Personally, my 18 y/o could PHYSICALLY and MECHANICALLY drive a rig, just fine... and be okay...to a point. Until, decision making time, or getting lost ... (takes after Tom!) The daughter, being 20 plus.. absolutely; would've LET her at 16, but it wasn't HER dream. Who knows, in times to come!

Cool to dig up a great, older topic . . .

Best, all!

Hope Victor stops in. CM, hope you are doing great, as well. May still treating you fair & fine?

Always,

~ Anne ~

I remember riding around on the bush hog before I could drive a tractor. Sadly my parents sold the tractor before I was really old enough to use it. We got a swimming pool out of the deal though so I guess learning to swim was important too.

CPS would probably go insane over seeing a kid standing on a bush hog as it's cutting a field today

The guy over at Gentry and Sons has a YT channel. A few videos I’ve seen his son is young, around 10-12 and drives rigs around the shop and down the street. He helps work on trucks and is practicing with the forklift.

Not much to really research there, but it reminded how my father grew up on the family farm. My father drove a tractor around that age.

I agree with most on here. 16 is perfect to start on a farm or private property to drive. Mainly for the reasons Anne mentioned. Kids can master the mechanics and be physically able to do it, but thier brains just haven't matured enough for the mental aspects. All of the split second decisions and preparation for the long stretchs of boredom. I know for a fact that if I had the opportunity, regardless of the fact I have always wanted to be a driver, that I would have screwed up and lost my cdl , if I had started before I was 25.