Dive Brief:
- President Donald Trump on Thursday kicked off the Freedom Haulers initiative, which provides an expedited path for military veterans to obtain a commercial driver’s license.
- Trump’s remarks follows the effort’s July 24 launch by the U.S. Department of Transportation in cooperation with the Department of Defense and Department of Labor, to recruit veterans to pursue careers in trucking.
- The president noted that the program streamlines the process for veterans to obtain a CDL. “Any American who has driven a heavy truck for our military will automatically be eligible for a commercial driver’s license,” Trump said, adding veterans will be eligible to skip redundant road tests to obtain a CDL.
Dive Insight:
Freedom Haulers follows a string of government initiatives addressing processes and regulations on the issuance of CDLs. The government also has cracked down on CDL schools and pressured several states by threatening to withhold federal funding over compliance issues with non-domiciled CDLs.
But providing an express lane for veterans to land a CDL opens doors to individuals who received training driving heavy-duty military vehicles. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy in last week’s announcement noted trucking “requires precision, independence and discipline” — traits that military members forge during their service.
The government for years has provided numerous career transition programs — including trucking — to military veterans returning to civilian life. The Military Skills Test Waiver Program, for example, allows drivers with two years’ experience safely operating heavy military vehicles to obtain a CDL without taking a driving skills test. More than 40,000 service members and veterans have tapped the program, according to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.
Through Freedom Haulers, qualified veterans have up to 24 months, versus 12 months under the military skills test waiver, after being discharged to utilize an exemption to bypass required knowledge and driving testing to obtain a CDL. The program applies to Army motor transport operators, fuelers and Patriot launching station operators; Marine Corps motor vehicle operators; Navy equipment operators; and Air Force vehicle operators, fuelers, and pavement and construction equipment operators, per a Defense Department press release.
The Freedom Haulers initiative was commended by trucking groups.
Todd Spencer, president of the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association, in an emailed statement said nearly 40% of the group’s members served in the military.
“Military veterans have the skills to succeed in trucking and that’s what makes them the safest operators of the 80,000-pound commercial vehicles that traverse America’s roadways,” Spencer said.
The American Trucking Associations in a blog post said the program matters because trucking offers more than a paycheck.
“Veterans who join the industry continue serving a mission larger than themselves: helping keep the American economy strong and the supply chain running,” ATA said.
