The White House is set to announce a new initiative aimed at increasing opportunities for military veterans in the trucking industry, while cracking down on illegal immigrant and non-English-speaking commercial drivers.
The Freedom Haulers initiative, set to be launched by the president on Thursday, will make it easier for veterans to obtain commercial driver's licenses and provide CDL training for those who have never driven a heavy commercial vehicle during their military service.
The Department of Transportation will expand eligibility for veterans to receive expedited CDLs, extending the waiver period from 12 months to 24 months after active-duty service. This move is part of a broader effort to bolster America's trucking industry, which is crucial to strong supply chains.
The administration is also highlighting its ongoing crackdown on commercial drivers who fail to meet English-language proficiency requirements or are improperly licensed. The Department of Transportation has removed more than 24,000 commercial driver's licenses from the nation's highways under stricter English-language proficiency enforcement.
Notably, the initiative comes after a series of fatal crashes involving illegal immigrant truck drivers in states including Florida, California, Indiana, and Pennsylvania. The president is expected to welcome a truck on West Executive Avenue to announce the initiative, joined by officials from the Department of Transportation, Labor, Veterans Affairs, and War.
The administration says the initiative is aimed at improving highway safety while strengthening the nation's trucking workforce. Data from the Department of Transportation shows that veteran truck drivers experience 42% fewer accidents and cover 98% more miles than non-veteran drivers.
Additionally, the trucking industry has seen a 7.42% increase in real wages during the current administration, compared to a 3% decline in real wages under the previous administration. Werner Enterprises, a trucking company attending the event, will announce plans to hire 1,400 new veteran drivers.
The two states of Indiana and Wyoming will also join the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration's Even Exchange program, allowing military truck drivers to more easily transition into civilian CDLs.
