Military Vets Can Find Work as Truck Drivers

Now, you can add military veterans to the list of potential truck driving hopefuls thanks to the Commercial Motor Vehicle Operator Safety Training (CMVOST) grant program.

The CMVOST grant program is being funded by a $3.1 million award from the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) through the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), and the grants are part of the Biden-Harris administration's trillion-dollar Trucking Action Plan (TAP), which had been announced earlier this year.

What Does This Mean?

These grants will assist former and current members of the United States Armed Forces who might want to pursue a career in trucking, or to obtain a commercial driver's license (CDL). In addition, training courses for these heroic individuals will be made available for those looking to enter the profession of commercial truck driving.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg called this a win-win for both veterans and the transportation industry while speaking about the program at Lehigh Carbon Community College in Pennsylvania.

There have been three primary goals set by the CMVOST grant program. First, expand the number of CDL holders who have completed and possess enhanced operator safety training. Second, provide opportunities for current or former members of the United States Armed Forces and their spouses to enter the trucking industry. And third, increase training opportunities for candidates from underserved communities, as they are defined in the President's Executive Order 13985.

Everybody Falls in Line

The FMCSA lit the proverbial path to allow for a wider array of commercial trucking institutions to apply for the CMVOST grants because the agency does not require applicants to propose a local matching share of funding. Meaning this expansion will allow more qualified truck driving candidates from across the United States to more easily afford the required proper training and licensing needed in order to join the transportation industry as commercial motor vehicle drivers.

TAP has also created multiple new apprenticeship programs which will aid in recruiting additional truck drivers, as well as having launched a compensation study and truck leasing task force specifically designed to help improve driver retention within the trucking industry.

It's encouraging to know that there are folks and forces out there willing to provide renewed opportunities for the brave women and men who have served this country with honor by providing protection for its citizens.

For industries to give back and begin turning an inspirational eye to not only boost employment numbers amongst those who have such military background, but to do so in an effort to help a stagnated industry should serve to show that America continues to be an innovative machine for the huddled masses.