The Trump administration is turning to America’s military veterans to help fill a growing gap in the trucking industry — one created largely by the administration’s own crackdown on immigrant drivers who lost their commercial licenses this year.
A new initiative called “Freedom Haulers” launched Friday to promote pathways that make it easier for veterans to enter the trucking field. Veterans who recently operated large military vehicles weighing more than 2.5 tons can skip the standard skills test required for a commercial driver’s license. Others can attend a commercial driving school during their final six months of active duty. The GI Bill will cover 100% of commercial driver’s license training costs, and qualifying veterans may also receive a housing allowance while enrolled.
The campaign is set to become part of a larger, multi-agency effort focused on helping veterans transition into good-paying civilian careers, which the White House plans to formally announce Monday.
The federal crackdown on commercial driver’s licenses began last summer when the Transportation Department started enforcing existing rules requiring truckers to demonstrate English language proficiency. The issue gained additional urgency following a deadly August crash in Florida, where a truck driver made an illegal U-turn that killed three people. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said that driver, who is from India, should never have received a license to begin with.
State-by-state audits revealed a significant number of non-domiciled commercial driver’s licenses that had remained active long after the holder’s work permits expired, or that were issued without proper verification of citizenship status.
Since the crackdown began, approximately 26,000 drivers have been removed from the road for failing to show adequate English proficiency. The Transportation Department also reported that 30,000 commercial licenses were revoked because they had been issued illegally. The federal government has attempted to withhold highway funding from California and New York for failing to comply with license revocation orders, though those efforts are currently tied up in court. Pennsylvania, Minnesota, and North Carolina have also been warned they could lose funding if they don’t act.
“We are removing more and more dangerous foreign drivers off our roads every day and restoring the integrity of America’s trucking industry,” Duffy said. “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.”
The trucking industry has welcomed both the effort to remove unqualified drivers and the new push to recruit veterans. Derek Leathers, chairman and CEO of Werner Enterprises, highlighted the value veterans bring to the field.
“Veterans make up 15% of our workforce and bring the highest levels of leadership, discipline and technical skills that are essential to our success. We are dedicated to providing them with meaningful careers and a supportive environment where they can thrive,” Leathers said.
Cole Stevens, chief strategy officer at the trucking company bearing his name, echoed that sentiment, saying veterans’ military backgrounds prepare them exceptionally well for life on the road.
“Some of the best drivers and industry leaders I’ve had the privilege of working with are military veterans,” Stevens said. “Their integrity, accountability, and mission-first mindset make them an incredible asset.”
Beyond the current enforcement actions, the government has announced plans to further restrict which immigrants can qualify for a non-domiciled commercial driver’s license and to require that the licensing exam be taken in English — though those proposed rules are also facing legal challenges.
Under the new rules, only immigrants holding an H-2A, H-2B, or E-2 visa would be eligible for such a license. The H-2A visa covers temporary agricultural workers, H-2B is for temporary non-agricultural workers, and E-2 is for those who make substantial investments in a U.S. business.
Immigrants currently make up roughly 20% of all truck drivers nationwide. However, non-domiciled commercial licenses held by immigrants represent only about 5% of all commercial driver’s licenses — approximately 200,000 drivers in total.
Some immigrant advocacy groups have raised concerns that many drivers are being unfairly targeted. Sikh truckers in particular have faced heightened scrutiny, as both the driver in the Florida crash and the driver in a separate fatal crash in California in October were Sikh.
The Transportation Department said it will collaborate with the Pentagon and the Departments of Veterans Affairs and Labor to market trucking as an attractive career for veterans who prefer independence over a traditional desk job.
Veterans interested in pursuing a CDL still need to study the rules of the road and pass a written exam, but those who recently drove military vehicles over 2.5 tons can bypass the skills portion of the test. More than 40,000 veterans have already taken advantage of this program, which can get qualified drivers on the road within just a few weeks.
The Transportation Department noted that truck drivers currently earn an average of $70,000 per year, as the trucking market has tightened and freight rates have risen. Veterans who served at least three years may use GI Bill benefits to cover CDL training and could also qualify for a housing stipend during that time.
