In uniform, experience is measured by whether you can complete the mission and bring the people beside you home. Too often, veterans return to civilian life and are told that the skills they earned in service do not count unless they repeat training they have already mastered.
That makes no sense. It wastes talent, delays good-paying careers, and tells veterans that the country they served cannot recognize the value of their experience.
I served alongside men and women who moved people, equipment, and supplies through some of the most demanding conditions on earth. They know how to operate heavy vehicles, follow safety procedures, solve problems under pressure, and take responsibility for the mission. America needs those exact skills in our trucking industry.
That is why I introduced the Freedom Haulers Act. The bill would write President Trump’s Freedom Haulers initiative into federal law and create a permanent, faster pathway for qualified veterans to earn commercial driver’s licenses.
The legislation doubles the Military Skills Test Waiver window from 12 months to 24 months after leaving service. More than 40,000 veterans have already used this waiver to transfer military heavy-vehicle experience without repeating a redundant road test. Giving veterans an additional year to use it means more men and women can make the transition on a timeline that works for their families.
The bill also makes the Even Exchange Program permanent. That program allows qualified veterans to bypass duplicative CDL knowledge exams and get licensed faster. Thirty-four states, including Florida, already participate. The federal government should give them certainty instead of leaving a successful pathway dependent on temporary guidance.
This is about more than paperwork. It is about good-paying jobs for veterans, stronger supply chains for American families, and safer roads. We should be replacing bureaucracy with opportunity and putting proven, disciplined drivers behind the wheel.
Veterans did not stop being an asset to this country when they took off the uniform. Their next mission may be on America’s highways, moving the freight that keeps our economy running. My job is to make sure Washington does not stand in their way.