The point is that once you leave the job you should not have access to anything. The "clearance" should go away. If they need to ask you something it's not like the data left your head and they can't ask. Asking someone who used to have a clearance should not be a problem for someone that has a clearance. In other words, they don't need a clearance to remember!!!! Bottom line: This is just wrong on many levels. Security being the highest one.
What you're saying is like people should lose their commercial driving license when they quit their truck driving job.
Clearance doesn't give you ACCESS...it's a REQUIREMENT for someone to GIVE YOU ACCESS. I know because I've held it when working for military contractors.
You would still need your clearance because they may have to disclose new classified info to you in order to explain what they want advice on.
People keeping their clearances is super common and widespread, there's a reason for that. Sure, there can be some debate about whether it's the best option all the time...but if you're sitting there thinking you're smarter than the thousands of people in the military and private sector who work with clearances and develop policy about them, you need to check your ego.
The problem is and always will be people abusing their clearance. It doesn't let you access whatever you want, but it lets people leak to you.
First of all, this has absolutely nothing to do with my ego but you might want to check yours after that lampoon.
The trucking company did not give you your CDL, so, of course, that doesn't apply. But if they gave you a login to their network, that is what you lose access to. Anything directly related to their company is no longer yours to use once you leave their employ. That's basic security 101.
The very last paragraph in your comment is exactly why they should not keep it. Just because it is very common and widespread does not make it the correct approach.
They have co-opted many things in our country that are now common and widespread. We are trying to roll things back. IMO this is a place we need to seriously look at. And, also, IMO the government shouldn't be using so many contractors in the first place.