Bzzzz! That's the reaction when a rock strikes a hornet's nest—or when the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) proposes that 18-year-olds be allowed to drive the nation's big truck rigs. The DOT's Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has received more than 1,600 comments to date on its proposal to launch a pilot program that would allow drivers aged 18 to 20 to drive trucks in interstate commerce. And most of those comments are negative or—to be more blunt—downright hostile to the idea.

"Please do NOT allow 18-year-old drivers to operate 18-wheeled vehicles ...," was a typical posting in the comment section of the DOT's Web site. "We have such a high fatality [rate] as it is among teen drivers and the people they hit." Added an emergency medical technician: "As a professional paramedic, I have seen the results of younger drivers operating [vehicles] that are either too fast or too large for them to handle with their limited driving experience and driving skills. I am very much opposed to this change in the regulation." (To read these and other comments, visit the DOT's Web site: http://dms.dot.gov/search/hitlist.asp and search for Docket Number 8410.)

At the moment, federal law allows only operators 21 and older to drive big rigs across the country, although individual states can permit younger drivers to operate trucks on their own highways. In its comments in support of the younger driver program, the Montana Highway Patrol Division noted: "The State of Montana has allowed 18-year-old drivers to operate articulated vehicles within the state since 1986 and [has] not experienced any significant crash rate for those drivers. We believe that the trucking [industry] may be able to benefit from the 18- through 20-year-old workforce …"

The trucking industry certainly hopes that a few 18- to 20-year-olds will become drivers if this program is approved. The nation's motor carriers have had a tough time finding enough qualified driver candidates. That's why the Truckload Carriers Association petitioned the DOT for the three-year pilot program to demonstrate that careful screening and selection could put younger drivers safely behind the wheel.

Still, the thought of young "kids" operating a big rig scares the bejesus out of most people. Even the readers of this magazine—shippers—can't rally behind this idea as a solution to the driver shortage. (See the results of our poll .) It strikes many as a plan fraught with risk. As the American Insurance Association noted in its comments: "AIA is deeply concerned about the potential significant increase in risk of injury and death to the younger operators and all other persons who share the road with them."

In my view, younger drivers pose no greater safety risk than the Mexican truckers whom the Bush administration wants to let into the country. But unlike those Mexican drivers, the young kids are citizens of this country who at 18 are supposed to be granted all the rights of citizenship. You can get married, enter into a legal contract, and be inducted into the military. And if you do join the Army, you can drive a tank at 18 with training. You also have the right to fly a small airplane with the proper license and training.

Those same principles should apply to the operation of trucks. The pilot program calls for a minimum of 48 weeks of classroom training, and that would make it unlikely that anyone could drive much before the age of 19. We need to end age discrimination toward young people. If you become a legal adult at 18, then you get all the rights and responsibilities. If you have to pay your own bills at 18, then you should surely have the right to try to make a living as a truck driver—if you receive the proper training and can pass the Commercial Drivers License test.