Mark Schremmer
Efforts to allow military veterans easy entry into the trucking industry aren’t new, but the current administration is making the recruitment a priority.
The U.S. Department of Transportation announced the creation of a “patriotic hiring campaign” called Freedom Haulers.
The turbo-charged recruitment effort follows implementation of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s non-domiciled CDL rule, which is expected to remove nearly 200,000 truck drivers from the freight market.
“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 news release. “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. Trucking requires the precision, independence and discipline that they forged in the military – there’s no one better to tackle the challenge. By answering the call, veterans can leverage their GI Bill benefits and take on a new, essential mission: keep America moving.”
The DOT said the “interagency effort” will let veterans know why their backgrounds make them a great fit for trucking. Additionally, the campaign attempts to connect veterans with the resources they need to earn a CDL.
“President Trump’s Freedom Haulers initiative is another victory for common sense,” Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins said. “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. VA already helps thousands of Veterans make this transition every year, and we stand ready to help thousands more.”
Earlier this month, Trump said the administration planned to create an express lane for military veterans to become truckers.
“My administration will soon take historic action to get illegal alien truck drivers who are just killing a lot of people,” Trump said this week during the Pennsylvania Defense and Innovation Summit. “They can’t read signs. Many of them are on drugs or alcohol, and they shouldn’t be driving these things. And they came in totally illegally. We don’t want them, but they are driving all over American roadways, and we’re going to replace them with proud American veterans.”
Trump later said that veterans who drove a heavy truck in the military will “automatically be eligible for a CDL.”
The Freedom Haulers initiative aims to build off existing efforts to convert military veterans into truck drivers. The military skills test waiver program, for instance, allows drivers with two years’ experience safely operating heavy military vehicles to obtain a CDL without taking the driving test. According to FMCSA, 40,000 service members and veterans have taken advantage of this program.
A new Freedom Haulers website was launched to provide information about the campaign, testimonials and steps that veterans can take to become a trucker.
To grab people’s attention for the program, DOT released an eye-catching video featuring clips from famous movies like “Die Hard” and “First Blood.” Click on link below to see video.
The DOT was scheduled to host an event about the campaign on Monday, July 27, but it has been postponed. The Freedom Haulers website indicates that a “major announcement” is now planned for Thursday, July 30.
