President Signs Law That Eases Path for Military Veterans to Obtain CDLs

This story appears in the Oct. 29 print edition of Transport Topics.

President Obama signed a bill on Oct. 19 that makes it easier for military veterans to obtain commercial driver licenses.

The Military Commercial Driver’s License Act of 2012 allows members of the armed forces to receive training needed for a CDL while in the military, and permit them to obtain CDLs in states where they are serving — not just their home state.

“Making it easier for veterans to move into these jobs is a good thing for the military, for the veterans themselves and for our industry,” Bill Graves, president of American Trucking Associations, said in a statement last month after the bill sailed through Congress.

There are hundreds of thousands of truck-driving jobs currently available, several studies have shown. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics expects that truck driver jobs will increase 20% by 2020.

In states that allow it, the new law allows military drivers to skip the CDL skills tests. But because they may lack any exposure to federal regulatory requirements, veterans are required to take written tests, said Boyd Stephenson, the ATA staff member working on the issue.

Veterans also got a boost with the transportation reauthorization bill signed into law in July. The law requires the secretary of transportation to oversee a study to assess the remaining barriers to obtaining a CDL faced by current service members and veterans.

Upon completing the study, DOT must make recommendations for overcoming those barriers and then implement the recommendations.

“. . . It is unacceptable that so many veterans have found themselves unable to successfully enter civilian professions for which they have already received world-class training,” said Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-Maine), a co-sponsor of the legislation. “It is vital they receive our help to overcome the unique challenges and red tape preventing them from using their skills . . . and this bill continues the efforts.”

While the new law is a good step, more work is needed to help put more veterans into the seats of trucks, Stephenson said.

For example, a state’s CDL skills test waivers only apply to the specific type of vehicle a veteran drove for the military. Another hurdle is the fact that military veterans are not able to receive G.I. Bill assistance if they attend private trucking schools.