 |
| REUTERS |
President Trump on Thursday unveiled a plan to give military veterans a priority on trucking jobs, cutting out illegal immigrants who “cannot read” road signs.
“We’re going to make it as easy as possible for the veterans,” Trump said at an event at the White House.
Flanked by two massive truck cabs, one a military green and the other blue with a large American eagle painted on it, the president praised veterans for having “a talent” for truck driving while blasting states that gave commercial driving licenses to illegal immigrants.
“Radical left maniacs at the state level have issued them commercial driver’s licenses, even though they’re not entitled to have them,” the president said.
“They don’t speak English. They cannot read basic road signs. In many cases, they’ve engaged in reckless driving that has caused many, many preventable deaths,” he added.
“We’ve got to stop it. It’s dangerous what’s happening,” he said, noting American highways were being “terrorized by unqualified illegal aliens, dangerously driving big rigs.”
In 2025, at least 30 deaths resulted from 17 fatal crashes caused by illegal immigrant commercial vehicle drivers, according to the Department of Transportation.
Under the new program, the DoT will expand the eligibility for veterans to receive expedited commercial driver’s licenses (CDLs), extending the waiver period from 12 months to 24 months.
For veterans who never drove a heavy commercial vehicle during their military service, CDL training will be offered.
There will also be a recruitment campaign with digital ads, radio ads, and a website listing federal and private resources. --->READ MORE HERE
 |
| Peter D'Abrosca/Fox News Digita |
Qualified veterans with heavy vehicle experience from military service can skip duplicating driver training they received
An Army veteran and trucking company executive who attended President Donald Trump's Wednesday announcement about a new initiative called "Freedom Haulers" at the White House praised the new plan to provide a boost to the industry.
"I came down here to support the cause of getting into an industry that is always in need," said Tom Jacques, the director of Department of Transportation (DOT) compliance at Waste Management. Jacques is also the chairman of the board of directors for the Pennsylvania Motor Trucking Association.
Jacques, whose biography says he enlisted in the Army and joined the 3rd U.S. Infantry as an escort to the President, called the plan "wonderful."
"It's wonderful to get skilled workers who are disciplined [and] dedicated into an industry that requires discipline and dedication," Jacques told Fox News Digital at the White House. "You don't get behind the wheel of a tractor-trailer — 80,000 pounds — without understanding the need to be disciplined and to be safe. So it's nice to have that, to tap into a large workforce as they transition out of the military and into the next career field."
Under the initiative, qualified veterans with heavy-vehicle experience gained during military service can apply to waive the CDL road-skills test, allowing them to avoid duplicating training they received in the military.
Certain veterans in participating states — 34 of them so far — may also qualify for a waiver of the written knowledge test. Veterans without military truck-driving experience will be eligible for expedited training that administration officials said could be completed in several weeks.
"Data shows that truck drivers who are veterans account for 42% fewer accidents. Think of that, 42%," Trump said at the event. "And that number, they say, is their very minimal number, even as they drive double the number of miles of non-veteran drivers."
Jacques said the trucking industry is always in need of new drivers, and discussed the important role that truckers play in the everyday lives of Americans.
"If you take a look at the trucking industry, the behind the scenes, that's what gets the commodities where they're at," he said.
He also noted that during COVID-19, when non-essential workers were furloughed and much of America worked from home, truckers didn't have that option. Americans depended upon their work in order to have access to necessities, otherwise the country could have "shut down," he said. --->READ MORE HEREFollow link below to a relevant story:
+++++ATA Backs Trump Administration's Push to Launch Veterans' Trucking Careers+++++
If you like what you see, please "Like" and/or Follow us on FACEBOOK here, GETTR here, and TWITTER here.
No comments:
Post a Comment