Child Labor and Driving Jobs

In the United States, child labor is widely defined as whenever a person under 18 years of age enters the workforce. Considering that this can include circumstances such as running a paper delivery route or helping parents with local farm duties, prohibitions on child labor require very specific outlines in order to avoid becoming unreasonable and unnecessarily strict. As a result, there are several exemptions and special rules governing certain branches of the workforce, making labor permissible for minors in certain situations. Specifically, minors may find jobs that involve driving difficult in certain jurisdictions, as the law can be detailed when dealing with this area of employment.

In various jurisdictions, individuals under a certain age will not be able to secure any job that has driving as a part of that job. Many states recognize that drivers cannot officially obtain a driving license until they are 16-years old, meaning that employment law is adjusted accordingly. Thus, states may require minors to be 17-years old before they can operate a motor vehicle as a part of their job.

In addition to age restrictions, minors are often limited by the kind of work they are legally allowed to do. For teen drivers, this can mean that a job may not actually require them to spend the majority of their time in a car or truck. Some states are very precise, marking schedules in which a teen worker cannot drive more than 20 percent of their workweek. Also, it is rare that a teen driver is permitted to drive for work at night.

Finally, teens are not allowed to engage in jobs that can be dangerous to their health. This means that delivery jobs involving the use of an automobile are not allowed in certain jurisdictions, as these tasks require frequent driving trips, and may encourage drivers to drive quickly to meet delivery times.

For more information concerning your state's child labor laws, contact an employment attorney.

If you have questions concerning the standards of your child's employment, contact a Houston employment attorney from the Ross Law Group today.