Washington DC : US President Donald Trump on Thursday (local time) announced a new initiative called 'Freedom Haulers' aimed at recruiting military veterans as truck drivers, as his administration steps up enforcement against immigrant commercial drivers.
Trump made the announcement alongside Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and acting Labour Secretary Keith Sonderling, saying the initiative would remove "illegal alien" truck drivers from US roads and replace them with American veterans.
"Thank you all for being here as we take action to get illegal alien truck drivers off the American roadways. We're doing a very strong movement, and we have had such support for this, and replace them with proud American veterans. And it's about time," Trump said.
According to Fox News, the initiative will expand veterans' eligibility to obtain commercial driver's licenses (CDLs), while the administration has removed thousands of licenses under stricter English-language proficiency requirements.
"President Trump's administration has made our roads safer by taking illegal alien, non-English-speaking truck drivers off America's highways. Now, through the 'Freedom Haulers' initiative, the president is expanding opportunities for our veterans by making it easier to obtain commercial driver's licenses once they conclude their service," White House spokesperson Anna Kelly told Fox News Digital.
"By leading a multi-agency process spanning the departments of Transportation, Labor, Veterans Affairs and War, President Trump is bolstering America's trucking industry, which is crucial to strong supply chains, while helping our nation's heroes transition to civilian life with quality, good-paying jobs," Kelly added.
Under the initiative, the US Department of Transportation will expand veterans' eligibility for expedited CDLs by extending the waiver period from 12 months to 24 months after active-duty service. Veterans without experience driving heavy commercial vehicles during their military service will also be offered CDL training.
The Department of Transportation has said it removed more than 24,000 commercial driver's licenses from the nation's highways under stricter enforcement of English-language proficiency requirements. More than 28,000 additional CDLs were cancelled after officials determined they had been improperly issued to noncitizen truck drivers.
The White House has said the initiative is aimed at improving highway safety while strengthening the country's trucking workforce. As per The Hill, the White House and the departments of Transportation, Defense, Labor and Veterans Affairs are involved in the initiative. The Department of Veterans Affairs has said the GI Bill will cover as much as 100 per cent of CDL tuition at programmes approved by a state approving agency.
Transportation company Werner Enterprises has announced that it will hire 1,400 veterans and veteran spouses as part of the programme, The Hill reported. Indiana, Wyoming, Florida, Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana and Maryland are also slated to join the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration's Even Exchange Program, which would help military truck drivers transfer their experience to civilian trucking.