Australia’s (Brief) Idea to Ease Supply Chains: Juvenile Forklift Drivers

“‘Children driving forklifts’ is just the kind of out-of-the-box thinking that could get this country back on track,” tweeted Josh Butler, a journalist.

“My 12 year old would like to volunteer for forklift driving,” said Dr. Neela Janakiramanan, a surgeon. “He has been double vaccinated but has no training or experience. This doesn’t concern him, because he’s 12 and can do anything.”

Still, it’s all fun and games until your local KFC runs out of chicken. As in many places around the world, supply chains in Australia have been snarled as the Omicron variant has swamped a country that had largely contained the coronavirus for almost two years.

In the United States, which is facing a shortage of truck drivers, a federal pilot program will allow 18-year-olds to operate heavy commercial trucks, relaxing rules that require truckers who cross state lines to be at least 21.

In Australia, ever-growing numbers of workers of all stripes have needed to take time off either because they tested positive or were considered close contacts and had to isolate. This has left Australia facing shortages of everything from sausages to toilet paper — once again.

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/20/business/australia-juvenile-forklift-drivers.html