Trump Launches 'Freedom Haulers' to Fast-Track Veterans Into Trucking Jobs His Transportation Secretary Says Immigrants Should Not Hold

Trump appeared at the White House on July 30, 2026 with Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy, Veterans Affairs Secretary Douglas A. Collins and Acting Labor Secretary Keith Sonderling to launch the Freedom Haulers campaign. According to the Department of Transportation, the administration doubled the post-service window for the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration's Military Skills Test Waiver from one year to two; added Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Indiana, Louisiana, Maryland and Wyoming to the Even Exchange Program, which lets qualified veterans bypass written and driving exams, bringing the total to 34 states; and announced that Werner Trucking pledged to hire 1,400 veterans and military spouses in 2027.

DOT framed the campaign as building on the administration's crackdown on foreign commercial drivers. Duffy said in the release that 'illegal immigrants who can't speak our language have no business getting behind the wheel of a big rig.' Pairing an expanded veterans' credentialing benefit with immigration enforcement messaging turns a licensing program into part of a labor-displacement argument.

The changes are administrative rather than statutory, taking effect through FMCSA waivers and voluntary state participation. DOT said more than 40,000 veterans have used the skills-test waiver to date.