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0 Share Newsweek is a Trust Project member See more of our trusted coverage when you search. Prefer Newsweek on Google to see more of our trusted coverage when you search. Thousands of veterans could see a new employment opportunity under the Trump administration's recently launched Freedom Haulers initiative.
This new federal campaign is designed to recruit former service members into trucking jobs while expanding access to commercial driver's licenses (CDLs).
The program, announced by the Department of Transportation (DOT), is being promoted as both a workforce initiative and a veterans transition program to connect veterans with trucking companies and CDL training opportunities while streamlining licensing requirements.
“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. Trucking requires the precision, independence, and discipline that they forged in the military—there’s no one better to tackle the challenge."
On a larger scale, the administration has been enforcing a crackdown on commercial truck drivers who fail federal English-language requirements or whose licenses were improperly issued.
With the new program in place, a large number of veterans could be affected because trucking is one of the country's biggest occupations and employs millions of drivers nationwide.
Veterans could easily possess skills that directly translate to trucking careers, including experience operating large vehicles, transportation planning, and logistics management, officials said.
“President Trump’s Freedom Haulers initiative is another victory for common sense. 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 Secretary Doug Collins said in a statement.
The Freedom Haulers website says truck drivers earn an average annual salary of about $70,000 and notes that GI Bill benefits may cover up to 100 percent of approved CDL training programs for eligible veterans.
For veterans leaving active-duty service, Freedom Haulers could provide a faster route into a civilian career without requiring a traditional four-year college degree.
"The program could lessen the time between leaving military service and securing a career with good pay, while helping trucking companies fill positions that have become increasingly difficult to staff because of an aging workforce and high turnover rates,” Alex Beene, a financial literacy instructor for the University of Tennessee at Martin, told Newsweek .
There are several ways for veterans to get involved if they’re interested in becoming a truck driver in the program.
The DOT-created Freedom Haulers portal is the campaign's main information hub and can direct veterans to training resources and licensing programs.
There are also several existing VA education benefits that can help veterans pay for commercial driver training programs. Altogether, eligible veterans may receive up to 100 percent tuition coverage for approved CDL programs.
Veterans who operated heavy military vehicles may already qualify for Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration programs that allow them to bypass certain CDL skills-testing requirements.
Other service members may be able to attend CDL training programs during the final months of military service through existing transition programs.
“The program is essentially a response to an inflationary problem. Companies have been forced to pay higher wages to truck drivers because of a labor shortage, which has been exacerbated by immigration restrictions under the Trump administration,” Kevin Thompson, the CEO of 9i Capital Group and the host of the 9innings podcast, told Newsweek .
The DOT is also expanding outreach through digital advertisements and partnerships with other employers.
Trucking is an essential industry because virtually every sector of the economy depends on freight transportation. Goods ranging from food and medicine to fuel and consumer products move through trucking networks every day.
And because the Trump administration has removed thousands of drivers from the road and canceled tens of thousands of licenses during its immigration crackdown, there’s an increasing need for qualified truckers.
“The goal is to reduce barriers to entry and move veterans into high-demand careers more quickly,” Thompson said.
America needs more truckers because when the supply of labor is low and demand is high, wages rise. Those higher labor costs work their way through the supply chain and eventually show up in the prices consumers pay. It’s simply economics.
Veterans could be a natural recruiting pool because many already have experience with large vehicles and transportation logistics.
Despite the new initiative, prospective truck drivers could have concerns about whether automation will eventually eliminate driving jobs.
Autonomous trucking technology already exists in a limited capacity, and some companies have already deployed driverless freight operations on selected highway routes.
“Autonomous trucks will very likely expand over the next decade, particularly on long interstate routes, but the idea that they will replace drivers anytime soon is unlikely,” Beene said. “Human operators will still be needed for local deliveries, complex driving conditions, inspections, and cargo handling for many years to come.”
Thompson said that long-term, autonomous driving could move to the forefront, though.
“Over time, autonomous vehicles will likely replace a portion of the trucking workforce, re...
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