White House: ‘We need more veterans in trucking’

In another effort to ease the nation’s supply chain issues, the White House is pushing programs that help veterans transition into the trucking industry, Leo Shane III reported for Military Times last week.

Shane reported that officials were expected to start touting existing programs Monday. This reportedly comes after White House officials have met with veteran groups to discuss beneficial programs. Government officials and trucking industry leaders have already looked to veterans as a possible solution to the nation’s truck driver shortage and increased supply chain disruptions.

In Biden’s “Trucking Action Plan to Strengthen America’s Workforce” released in December, officials said that veterans’ skills and experience make them “excellent candidates to help address these challenges and build the next generation’s trucking workforce.”

VI benefits like the GI Bill and Veteran Rapid Retraining Assistance Program are already in place to help former military personnel get jobs in the trucking industry. Shane reported that the Department of Defense offers online licensing opportunities for servicemembers before they even finish service. And the Department of Labor has a 90-day-trucking program designed to fast-track the CDL process.

Officials have told reporters they’ll be targeting veterans for those openings in coming weeks.

“Our nation’s outdated infrastructure, the COVID-19 pandemic, and a historic volume of goods moving through our economy have created a supply chain backlog, which has stressed our transportation industry and resulted in a critical shortage of truck drivers,” White House officials said in a fact sheet. “[These programs] are available to transitioning service members and veterans as they prepare to secure a meaningful career with family-sustaining wages in the trucking industry.”

Story courtesy of militarytimes.com