Coming off the Fourth of July holiday, I thought I’d pass along some good news regarding our nation’s veterans. More than 10,000 of them—including some active duty personnel—have taken advantage of the US Department of Transportation’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) Military Skills Test Waiver Program.
About 6,000 former military personnel were able to get a civilian commercial driver’s license (CDL) in the first three years of the Military Skills Test Waiver Program. Another 4,000 did it in the past 12 months alone, and that included Reserves, National Guard, and US Coast Guard service members.
“It is our duty to help returning veterans transition into civilian life, and I am proud that so many have used this program to secure careers in the transportation sector,” said US Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx. “Just as important, we want to put their valuable skills and experience to work driving the Nation’s economy.”
The Military Skills Test Waiver Program began in 2011. It allows state licensing agencies, including the District of Columbia, the authority to waive the skills test portion of the CDL application for active duty or recently separated veterans who possess at least two years of safe driving experience operating a military truck or bus. By waiving the skills test, the civilian CDL application process is quicker and the cost is less for qualified individuals. Also, operating costs are cheaper for state licensing agencies.
FMCSA Chief Counsel Scott Darling says, “In the near future, the need for skilled truck drivers is expected to grow dramatically. Having skillful and experienced drivers operating on our roadways will lead to increased safety for every member of the motoring public.”
Now we just need to figure out a way to help veterans fill some of the other skills gap jobs.
By the way…
I need to mention a very important and upcoming webinar from Forester University.
The title of it is “Adding GPS Fleet Management to Your Team.” Bob Laabs is a regional sales manager for Verizon Networkfleet and will be the presenter for this free webinar that explores GPS fleet management systems, how they work, the benefits, etc. He also will discuss how you can implement telematics in your fleet to improve driver and vehicle safety, reduce fuel spend, and increase your fleet’s productivity and efficiency. The free webinar is scheduled for Wednesday July 22nd, 2015 at 11 a.m. PDT/2 p.m. EDT.
Did I mention that it was free?
For more information, go to http://foresteruniversity.net/webinar-adding-gps-fleet.html.
