Americas trucking industry keeps our economy moving forward. From medicine and fresh produce to fuel and everyday essentials, truckers carry more than 71% of our nations freight.
If the trucks stop, America stops.
That is why President Donald Trump and I recently launched Freedom Haulers â a first-of-its-kind interagency hiring campaign to recruit military veterans into the trucking industry and clear the road to get these patriots behind the wheel even faster.
TRUMP PROMOTES FREEDOM HAULERS INITIATIVE TO FAST-TRACK MILITARY VETERANS INTO TRUCKING JOBS
Driving a rig should be a proud, stable career. And for generations of working Americans, it was. Trucking provided a reliable path to the middle class and built communities across the country. But open border policies and widespread fraud turned a proud profession into the Wild West.
Fraudulent driving schools sprouted everywhere, safety rules were ignored and tens of thousands of dangerous foreign drivers were handed the keys to 80,000-pound rigs. The consequence? Innocent families tragically killed in avoidable crashes across the country. Hardworking Americans saw their wages plummet. Family-run American trucking companies were pushed to the edge of bankruptcy.
I have met many of these truckers. They are truly the unsung heroes of our everyday livesâand the way they were treated is unacceptable.
Thankfully once elected, Trump put his foot down and said enough is enough.
In the last year, my department has launched a sweeping crackdown to restore law and order on our roads. Weve shut down 8,000 shady driving schools, knocked 26,000 drivers out of service who could not speak basic English or read road signs, and revoked more than 30,000 illegally issued licenses to unvetted foreign drivers.
The result? Fraudsters are on the run. Highway fatalities on American roads hit record lows. Driver earnings are up over 7%. And every time I travel, truckers come up to me and say were saving their businesses.
Thanks to Trump, there has never been a better time to become a truck driver.
And when it comes to the vital mission of keeping Americas economy moving, we need men and women who know how to answer the call and understand service â Americas veterans. Veterans are built for this work. They have the grit, perseverance and the discipline to take on trucking. Many are familiar with logistics and have the experience operating large military vehicles.
Today approximately 25% of truckers have a military background, but we think that number can and should be much higher.
Thats where our new Freedom Haulers campaign comes in. In collaboration with the Department of War, Department of Veteran Affairs and Department of Labor, weve created a new website listing all the resources veterans have
