Today, the Departments of Homeland Security and Transportation announced the largest crackdown on trucking fraud in American history. More than 110 commercial driver’s license (CDL) training providers were shut down, and on top of that, 160-plus are facing closures. This is about safety—drivers from the audited schools have been linked to 239 deaths on highways across the country. 

This comes as the Department of Transportation has already made huge steps toward protecting America’s highways and interstates over the past year-and-a-half: 

• 28,000 drivers removed off our roads for failing to speak English.

• 30,000 illegally issued licenses cancelled. 

• 8,000 unqualified training schools purged from our FMCSA registry. 

Now as we work to fill trucking roles with qualified drivers, I can't think of anyone better than the men and women who already ran convoys through combat zones and some of the toughest terrain in the world. That's why I introduced the Freedom Haulers Act. It codifies President Trump's Freedom Haulers initiative to help get veterans on the road and behind the wheel of our largest trucks to keep our economy moving. My bill doubles the Military Skills Test Waiver window from 12 months to 24 months at the end of service and makes the Even Exchange Program permanent, allowing our veterans to bypass redundant exams. 

Veterans have already proven they have the discipline and the grit to handle the hardest jobs in the most dangerous places on earth. Safer roads and good-paying careers for our veterans go hand in hand. I'll keep pushing until we pass this one into law.