The U.S. Department of Transportation is launching a new program to open up more job opportunities for military veterans and reserve members.
The program allows 18 to 20-year-olds who have the U.S. military equivalent of a commercial driver’s license to operate large trucks across state borders.
Right now, the federal government prohibits people under the age of 21 from operating large trucks over state lines.
9&10 News spoke to Ray Martinez, federal motor carrier safety administrator, to see how this program will help veterans locally.
“This is an opportunity to marry folks who have had training in the military with big vehicles and who have the disciplinary from that military experience and get them directly into that trucking sector and that transportation sector,” Martinez says.
The program is expected to run for three years. During that time, the safety records of these drivers will be compared to the records of a control group of drivers.
The US DOT is also piloting another program that encourages non military .
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