President Donald Trump used a White House event this week to put his personal stamp on the newly launched Freedom Haulers campaign, an initiative aimed at steering more military veterans into commercial trucking careers. The President appeared alongside Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy, Veterans Affairs Secretary Douglas A. Collins, and Acting Labor Secretary Keith Sonderling to formally kick off the program, underscoring how central the effort has become to the administration’s broader trucking agenda.
“We have a rich history of welcoming veterans to all job sectors of our industry, and the Freedom Haulers initiative led by President Trump and Secretary Duffy will drastically improve the ability of these heroes of the battlefield to transition to heroes of the highway.” – Mark Colson
The launch is the latest step in a push the President has made a signature part of his transportation policy: tightening oversight of who gets behind the wheel of America’s big rigs while opening a faster lane for veterans to enter the industry. Administration officials have framed the campaign as a continuation of Trump’s efforts to “clean up America’s roadways” and crack down on unqualified or unauthorized foreign drivers, arguing that veterans represent a natural, ready-made workforce to fill the gap.
Officials pointed to two metrics they say reflect the President’s approach so far: a 7.42% increase in trucker earnings and traffic fatalities at a historic low since Trump returned to office.
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Boots to Big Rigs: New federal program fast-tracks vets into trucking jobs
The U.S. Department of Transportation has launched an interagency effort to attract military veterans to pursue careers in trucking. The…
While the underlying regulatory changes were developed within the Department of Transportation’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), the White House chose to elevate Freedom Haulers with a presidential event rather than a routine agency announcement, a signal of how much political capital Trump is investing in the trucking sector as both an economic and cultural issue.
Secretary Duffy, who has led the administration’s charge on roadway enforcement, tied the veteran-focused rollout directly to the President’s broader immigration and public-safety messaging, casting the campaign as a choice between “dangerous foreign drivers” and veterans he described as already possessing the discipline for the job. VA Secretary Collins and Acting Labor Secretary Sonderling echoed that framing, each emphasizing the work ethic and reliability veterans bring to an industry facing persistent driver shortages.
FMCSA Administrator Derek D. Barrs, whose agency will administer much of the licensing overhaul, said the effort marks a shift from an enforcement-first posture toward one that also celebrates and grows the trucking workforce — with veterans at the center of that growth.
“Alabama Trucking stands with our veterans who have bravely taken an oath to defend our country at all cost,” said Alabama Trucking President and CEO Mark Colson. “We have a rich history of welcoming veterans to all job sectors of our industry, and the Freedom Haulers initiative led by President Trump and Secretary Duffy will drastically improve the ability of these heroes of the battlefield to transition to heroes of the highway. “American truckers have had enough of the bad headlines of illegal operators harming the reputation of this proud industry and creating a serious threat to highway safety. Freedom Haulers is yet another initiative by the Trump administration that will help lead to a Trucking Resurgence in the U.S.A.”
The Announcements
Under the President’s direction, the administration unveiled several concrete steps at the launch:
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A longer runway for veterans. The FMCSA Military Skills Test Waiver window — branded “Even Exchange” — is being doubled, from one year to two years after service, giving veterans more time to convert their military driving experience into a civilian commercial driver’s license (CDL) without retaking exams.
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State expansion. Seven additional states — Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Indiana, Louisiana, Maryland, and Wyoming — are joining the Even Exchange Program, bringing total participation to 34 states.
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A private-sector commitment. Werner Trucking pledged to hire 1,400 veterans and military spouses in 2027, a 67% increase to its veteran workforce.
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Stationing flexibility. Active-duty service members can now test for a Commercial Learner’s Permit or CDL in the state where they’re currently stationed, rather than in their home state, with that benefit extending for 2 years after separation.
The White House is describing Freedom Haulers as an “unprecedented interagency” effort, pulling in the Departments of Transportation, Veterans Affairs, War, and Labor simultaneously — a structure officials say reflects the President’s insistence that the initiative move beyond a single agency’s messaging. The campaign includes radio ads, a digital ad push, and a new microsite consolidating federal resources and private-sector hiring partners for transitioning service members.
To date, more than 40,000 veterans have used the underlying Military Skills Test Waiver, a figure officials cited as evidence that the program the President is now expanding already has a track record.
