Comment from another contractor who started driving heavy equipment at the age of TEN

Last week, we reposted a comment from a rural contractor who said he had his “ten-year-old” boys driving “heavy equipment” around his farm.

At first, we thought we would some self-righteously angry posts from the “we DEMAND foam around those school goalpost!” types.

But our readership knows better.

Here’s another contractor who apparently started at the age of ten! Awesome!

I was raised on a farm with my grandfather and uncle. I have been driving farm equipment since I was ten years of age also. As long as you are taught the dangers involved and the kid acts responsible that’s life on the farm. Everyone pitches in. I have now owned my custom home business for the last 29 years. I introduced heavy equipment the last four years and always had skid steer loaders and a small excavator while my son grew up. He drove it mostly at our workshop, yard and doing trail work. He now is 25 years old and he now runs the heavy equipment side of our business – because he had a chance when he was a boy and he is a smooth operator. Responsible, caring kids need that chance. Would do nothing different.

Ray Northey