Freedom Haulers Act May Recruit Veterans to Truck Driving
Does this story sound familiar? At the start of the month, we wrote about how President Donald Trump started a program to help veterans transition from becoming military warriors into road warriors, spearheaded by the executive branch of the federal government and supported by various business entities. With executive decisions and orders it is much easier to put into place than congressional legislation, but is also much easier to remove should the winds of change blow. To that end, Brian Mast, representative of the 21st district of Florida, is introducing a Bill to make it an official directive by Congress to help get veterans on the road.
Details
“Veterans have already proven they have the discipline, the training, and the grit to handle the world’s most demanding jobs in the world’s most dangerous places. Hauling America’s freight should be next,” said Congressman Brian Mast in a statement announcing the Bill. “President Trump opened the fast lane for veterans to get behind the wheel and my bill make[s] sure it stays that way.”
The Bill is eight pages long and can be read at the official press release from the Office of Brian Mast, but the biggest changes are threefold:
- Doubles the Military Skills Test Waiver window from 12 months to 24 months after service, allowing veterans with heavy vehicle military experience transfer their maneuverability skills without taking redundant road tests.
- Provides endorsement waivers for specialized transport such as hazardous materials and passengers, provided that the veteran provided similar and comparable service in the military.
- Making the Even Exchange Program permanent, allowing qualified veterans to bypass CDL knowledge exams and receive licenses faster. Thirty-four states, including Florida, participate.
Conclusion
As stated at the beginning of the article, while congressional law has the benefit of being more permanent once established when compared to an executive order, it is much harder to implement. Rather than being put to the whims of a single person, it involves 536 different people from the House, Senate, and Presidency. Considering how Donald Trump started the Freedom Haulers Initiative, the odds that he would sign this Bill should it pass through both halls of Congress are close to 100%, so what remains is convincing at least half of the the 435-representative House and 100-member Senate to vote yes. We hope that they do!
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