According to federal law in the United States, employees who are 16 years of age or younger are prohibited from driving motor vehicles on public roads as part of their jobs, even if they have a valid state driver's license
. For 17-year-olds, driving on the job is allowed only under very limited circumstances, which include all of the following conditions:
- Driving is limited to daylight hours.
- The 17-year-old holds a valid state license for the type of driving involved.
- The 17-year-old has completed a state-approved driver education course and has no moving violation record at the time of hire.
- The vehicle does not exceed 6,000 pounds gross vehicle weight and is equipped with seat belts for all passengers, which must be used.
- Driving is only occasional and incidental to employment.
- The job does not involve towing, route deliveries or sales, transportation for hire, urgent deliveries, or transporting more than three passengers at a time
Thus, the federal restriction clearly prohibits anyone 16 years old or younger from driving on public roads as part of their job, with strict limitations placed on 17-year-olds who drive for work purposes
