The Trump administration is launching a new campaign, "Freedom Haulers," to recruit military veterans into the trucking industry to replace tens of thousands of immigrant drivers who have lost their licenses in a sweeping federal crackdown. The initiative, launched on Friday, is part of a broader interagency effort to connect veterans with civilian employment, which the White House plans to formally announce on Monday. The recruitment push comes amid heightened focus on the military in Washington, where a U.S. Army soldier recently walked past a Bradley fighting vehicle staged in West Potomac Park ahead of an upcoming parade commemorating the Army’s 250th anniversary, coinciding with Donald Trump’s 79th birthday on June 11, 2025.
Under the new program, former service members who recently operated military vehicles weighing over 2.5 tons (2.25 metric tons) can bypass the skills test required for a commercial driver's license (CDL), though they must still study the rules and pass the written exam. The government reports that more than 40,000 veterans have already taken advantage of this waiver, allowing them to start driving commercially within weeks. For other active-duty soldiers, the program allows them to attend commercial driving schools during their final six months of service.
Furthermore, veterans who served for at least three years can utilize the GI Bill to cover 100% of their CDL training costs, with some also qualifying for a monthly housing stipend while enrolled. Currently, the Transportation Department reports that truck drivers earn an average of $70,000 annually amid a tightening market and rising freight rates.
This recruitment drive follows a major federal crackdown on immigrant truckers. The Department of Transportation began strictly enforcing English-language proficiency requirements last summer. Public urgency intensified following an August crash in Florida where an immigrant truck driver from India performed an illegal U-turn, killing three people. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy stated that the driver should never have received a license. Subsequent nationwide audits exposed numerous non-domiciled CDLs that remained active despite expired work permits, or that were issued without proper citizenship verification.
As a result of these audits, approximately 26,000 drivers were pulled from the road for lacking English proficiency, and another 30,000 commercial licenses were canceled for being issued illegally. The federal government is currently in court over attempts to withhold millions of dollars in highway funds from California and New York for failing to revoke non-compliant licenses. Meanwhile, states like Pennsylvania, Minnesota, and North Carolina have received warnings that their highway funding is at risk.
The administration has also announced plans to limit non-domiciled CDLs exclusively to holders of H-2A, H-2B, or E-2 visas, while requiring all testing to be conducted in English. These proposed rules are currently facing legal challenges. H-2A visas are for temporary agricultural workers, H-2B visas are for temporary nonagricultural workers, and E-2 visas are for individuals making substantial investments in a U.S. business. While immigrants comprise about 20% of all U.S. truck drivers, non-domiciled licenses account for roughly 5% of the total, representing about 200,000 drivers. Some immigrant advocacy groups argue that drivers are being unfairly targeted, pointing to a focus on Sikh truckers after both the Florida crash and an October fatal crash in California involved Sikh drivers.
Despite the controversy, the trucking industry has welcomed the crackdown on unqualified drivers and sham CDL schools. "We are removing more and more dangerous foreign drivers off our roads every day and restoring the integrity of America’s trucking industry," Secretary Duffy said, adding that the Freedom Haulers campaign will encourage former service members to "get behind the wheel of a big rig."
Derek Leathers, chairman and CEO of Werner Enterprises, noted that veterans make up 15% of his company's workforce. "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 Stevens Transport, added that veterans' "integrity, accountability, and mission-first mindset make them an incredible asset."
