Posted on 07/24/2026 3:00:29 PM PDT by E. Pluribus Unum
A new campaign will promote programs that let veterans skip the required skills test for a commercial driver's license.
The Trump administration wants soldiers to consider becoming truck drivers when they leave the military to help replace the tens of thousands of immigrant drivers who lost their licenses in a crackdown this year.
The campaign will be part of a broader interagency effort to help veterans find good civilian jobs that the White House plans to announce on Monday.
The Transportation Department began enforcing existing English language requirements for truckers last summer. Concerns about truck driver qualifications then took on more urgency after an August crash in Florida, when a truck driver performed an illegal U-turn that killed three people. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said that driver, who is from India, should never have been licensed in the first place.
Audits conducted in every state uncovered numerous non-domiciled commercial driver's licenses that remained valid long after an immigrant's work permits had expired or were issued without properly verifying their citizenship status.
Since then, about 26,000 drivers have been pulled off the road for failing to demonstrate English proficiency, and the Transportation Department said 30,000 commercial licenses were canceled because they were issued illegally. The federal government has tried to withhold millions of dollars of highway funds from California and New York for failing to comply and revoke thousands more licenses, but that has wound up in court. Several other states — including Pennsylvania, Minnesota and North Carolina — have been warned they are at risk of losing funding.
(Excerpt) Read more at military.com ...
Veterans still have to study the rules and pass the written test for a commercial driver’s license, but soldiers who recently drove big military vehicles over 2.5 tons (2.25 metric tons) can skip the skills test. The government said more than 40,000 veterans have already used that program, which can enable them to get on the road within a few weeks.
This is great news.
All good, except your spotter can also indicate how close you are to your destination by making a continuous “come on back” motion with his hand. The motion gets slower the closer you get, and just before you’re there the spotter makes a fist.
Absolutely.
I have a hard enough time backing up my boat trailer, and that's nothing compared to backing up a big rig.
I drove big rigs for 26 years. You might not believe it, but it's easier to back a long trailer than a short one. It still takes a bit of practice to get it where you want (a dock, etc). But learning to back a 53' trailer doesn't take long. The hard part is figuring out your 'swing' room.... which is having the room for the tractor to swing straight as you jacknife a trailer to a dock.
As for throwing the keys to a noob, I'm not sure it's a good idea. But then again, anything has to be better than the foreign filth roaming the highways these days. :-)
That's not what they're doing.
https://x.com/i/grok/share/c1146741a21e41f69651bc98da97dbcc
Veterans Initiative ("Freedom Haulers" campaign):
Look, your original post kicked off with this:
A new campaign will promote programs that let veterans skip the required skills test for a commercial driver's license.
But that is a condensation of what is only the second sentence in the article, which reads in full:
A new campaign launched Friday will promote programs that let veterans who recently drove large military vehicles skip the required skills test for a commercial driver’s license.
Your kickoff quote, which you italicized for emphasis, dropped a key, qualifying element of the program leading to needless concern, and agitated posts from hip shooters who didn't click through to the article.
Now, it is worth noting that yours is the same line the editors kicked off with in the lead above the article, itself, but their omission should serve only to allay the notion that military media is very much less farther left than the mainstream press.
Since the central idea is, "Hey, here's a cool plan to get military drivers jobs in civilian life in place of the dangerous illegals being yanked off the roads," then the fact that the focus is on soldiers who drove heavy trucks in their military roles is a front-and-center fact, and it's unfortunate you didn't catch the editor's omission.
That's all.
I heard that they want to use veterans that drove vehicles during military action.
It would be reassuring to know that is as it will be.
The editors put that same line as their lead-in above the full article, so one might be excused for repeating the editor’s omission if it weren’t for the fact it miscasts the critical aspect of the program that makes it a win.
It’s the sort of slip one could make posting several articles an hour, but so glaring, in this case, I was stunned it was missed.
Good idea...
...dumbass plan.
My dad drove trucks in the army. When he got out, he had his license to drive big rigs.
CDL tuition is expensive, no? I’m guessing yes. Now if a veteran has experience driving big trucks in the military I can see waiving that but I agree should still have to take a road test before getting the CDL.
I request you read the article. Please.
Just scan it maybe?
To prevent the blood from squirting out of my eyes.
I am going to have to get another screen shortly.
True. I didn’t consider the new tech either. It was easier back then and my das was good with mechanics and machines.
He worked on them for a living.
Went on a trip one summer with him. 2 weeks and cross country. Convinced me it was my thing.
hi
driving truck has been a great way for (mostly) guys to earn honest livings
but if I were starting out looking for something today, I’d maybe consider learning how to maintain and repair the trucks (including the drives-itself computer stuff?)
a fascinating line of work though you don\t get to see the country as much
RELAX, everybody. “A new campaign launched Friday will promote programs that let veterans who recently drove large military vehicles skip the required skills test for a commercial driver’s license.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Whew! That’s good to know. I thought they were going to issue them H1-b visas to short cut training, experience and knowledge of English and road signs. /s
Granted. Long-haul trucking can be very hard on family.
GREAT
I want Veterans to TEACH....ESPECIALLY in the INNER CITY SCHOOLS!!
Searching a bit can be your friend - and keep the nutcases from slamming the President due to ignorance...which happens all too often here on once-renowned thinking denizens of FR.
Some of Y’all turn my stomach at how quick you are to slam the best damn president we have been blessed with.
The headline refers to a specific, existing federal waiver program for service members who already have proven heavy-vehicle driving experience.
Veterans are not allowed to bypass standard skill or safety requirements. The program being promoted—the Military Skills Test Waiver Program—transfers demonstrated military skills to civilian licensing rather than lowering standards.
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