The program will help veterans obtain commercial driver’s licenses, allow service members to begin training before leaving the military and expand enforcement against truck drivers who fail federal qualification standards.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
President Donald Trump launched a national campaign Thursday aimed at moving more military veterans into commercial trucking jobs while removing unqualified drivers from American highways.
Trump announced the “Freedom Haulers” initiative during a July 30 White House event attended by hundreds of veterans. The program will provide education benefits, expedited licensing options and pre-discharge training for service members interested in professional driving careers.
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“For many years, American highways and roadways have been terrorized by unqualified illegal aliens dangerously driving big rigs,” Trump said.
“As we get illegal aliens off the roads, today we’re also taking action to replace these unqualified illegal truck drivers with highly qualified American veterans.”
Trump cited fatal crashes involving illegal immigrants operating large commercial trucks, saying such accidents had caused at least 30 deaths nationwide during the previous year.
The campaign will be administered by the White House and Department of Transportation in coordination with the Departments of Labor, Veterans Affairs and War.
Veterans enrolling in approved commercial driver’s license programs may receive up to full tuition coverage. GI Bill benefits can also provide monthly housing allowances while participants earn weekly wages during truck-driving apprenticeships, allowing veterans to complete training without taking on education debt.
Veterans who operated heavy-duty vehicles during their military service may apply for waivers permitting them to bypass certain road-testing requirements and enter the trucking workforce more quickly.
Active-duty service members will be able to participate in civilian commercial truck-driver training during their final six months in uniform, preparing them to begin professional driving immediately after leaving the military.
The White House ceremony featured a military vehicle and a Werner Enterprises tractor decorated in a patriotic design.
The new campaign follows an executive order Trump signed in April directing federal officials to enforce English-language proficiency standards for commercial drivers. The order also required a review of domestic and foreign-issued commercial licenses to determine their “authenticity and validity.”
Trump said more than 24,000 commercial drivers had been removed from the road after failing to demonstrate that they could read or understand English-language traffic signs.
“Thanks to President Trump’s leadership, we are removing more and more dangerous foreign drivers off our roads every day and restoring the integrity of America’s trucking industry,” Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said in a statement. “Our new Freedom Haulers campaign will help build on these successes and get the word out that there’s never been a better time for America’s former service members to get behind the wheel of a big rig.”
Duffy encouraged veterans seeking work to consider trucking as a way to strengthen the country’s transportation network and protect domestic supply chains.
“These are great paying jobs,” Duffy said at the White House event.
Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins described the initiative as “another victory for common sense” and said it would expand the department’s ability to help former service members find stable employment.
“Instead of putting dangerous illegal immigrants on the road, we should be putting trust in our Veterans who have the discipline, determination and work ethic to succeed in this rewarding career path,” Collins said in a statement.
Acting Labor Secretary Keith Sonderling said veterans possess skills developed during military service that can be applied directly to commercial transportation.
“Veterans play an important role in President Trump’s agenda to Make America Skilled Again and fill the gap that our workforce currently faces,” Sonderling said in a statement. “The qualities that America’s veterans have honed during their time in uniform directly translate the Administration’s efforts to make our roads safer and to help move critical goods across the country.”
Administration officials said veterans operating commercial vehicles have 42% fewer accidents and drive 98% more miles than commercial drivers without military experience.
Private-sector partners include Werner Enterprises, one of the country’s largest trucking and logistics companies. The Omaha, Nebraska-based company offers advanced pay to veteran drivers, access to GI Bill apprenticeship benefits and employment through its veteran-operated Operation Freedom fleet.
“Veterans make up 15 percent of our workforce and bring the highest levels of leadership, discipline and technical skills that are essential to our success,” Werner Chairman and CEO Derek Leathers said in a statement. “We are dedicated to providing them with meaningful careers and a supportive environment where they can thrive.”
Werner pledged to hire 1,400 veterans during the next year.
Troops Into Transportation is among the training organizations participating in the initiative. The group provides programs on military installations and says it has helped more than 18,000 veterans complete training and begin commercial trucking careers since 2012.
Those veterans earned more than $917 million collectively during their first year of professional driving, according to Andrea Marathakis, the organization’s senior vice president of education and training.
“Transitioning from the military to a career in trucking not only delivers economic opportunity for our nation’s veterans but also generates measurable value for communities and employers through reduced unemployment costs and long-term career placement success,” Marathakis said in a statement.
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