Whether sitting down to eat at a favorite local restaurant or grabbing a meal on the go at a chain, the foodservice distribution industry is there making it happen. American consumers, our nation’s restaurants, and food retailers all depend on us.

Our industry takes great pride in making sure shelves are stocked and customers are served, and getting foods from point A to point B efficiently and timely wouldn’t be possible without our highly skilled and trained drivers. This is why the current nationwide shortage of truck drivers is so troubling. Many of the truck drivers we have been counting on over the years to transport goods across the country are retiring. According to the American Trucking Associations, the shortage could surpass 63,000 drivers by the end of the year. That number is expected to increase over the next decade to 890,000 drivers, just to keep up with growth and demand for freight transportation. This poses serious implications for our nation’s food supply chain, which requires the timely delivery of hundreds of thousands of products each day.

Fortunately, there is a bipartisan bill making its way through Congress that can turn this trend around while offering a pathway for a new generation of drivers to enter this industry safely and with the skills they need to operate a truck in the 21st century. The Developing Responsible Individuals for a Vibrant Economy Act, or the DRIVE-Safe Act (H.R. 5358), was introduced in Congress on March 21, 2018. This vital piece of legislation is quickly gaining traction from members on both sides of the aisle with more than 70 co-sponsors in the House and counting. It’s easy to see why this bill has bipartisan support. It’s a win-win for growing our economy and providing 18- to 21-year-olds with good, high-paying jobs that don’t require a college degree.

Recruiting young talent to the trucking industry has been particularly challenging. However, a job as a foodservice distribution delivery driver pays well above the average wage for a U.S. worker—more than $63,000 annually versus approximately $50,000 for all U.S. workers. With a competitive salary and room for advancement within the industry, a career in freight transportation can help skilled young adults enter the workforce without having to worry about paying off college debt.

The DRIVE-Safe Act fixes a technicality in existing laws that allow individuals in most states to obtain a commercial driver’s license (CDL) at age 18 but prevents them from engaging in interstate commerce until they turn 21. This means a 19-year-old truck driver can drive a shipment from Fort Collins to Colorado Springs, CO, a four and a half hour roundtrip, but cannot drive that same shipment to Cheyenne, WY, a mere 45 minutes away.

The DRIVE-Safe Act isn’t just a jobs bill. At its core, it’s a safety program that will train tomorrow’s drivers above and beyond current standards so they are prepared once they hit the road. Under this bill, a driver under the age of 21 must first meet the requirements necessary to obtain a CDL. Once this happens, the driver needs to complete a rigorous, two-step program that involves at least 400 hours of on-duty time and 240 hours of driving time with an experienced driver in the cab with them. He or she must demonstrate core competencies in driving and maneuvering skills according to 12 performance benchmarks before being allowed to drive across state lines without supervision.

All trucks used for training in the program must be equipped with leading safety technologies, including forward-facing video event capture, active braking collision mitigation systems, and a speed governor not to exceed 65 miles per hour.