[Video] Secretary Duffy Gives a Veterans Day Update in Washington on Freedom Haulers, the Push to Put Veterans Behind the Wheel of Big Rigs
WASHINGTON — U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy and Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) Administrator Derek D. Barrs held a press conference on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., on Veterans Day, November 11, to share an update on Freedom Haulers, joined by a veteran-turned-trucker and trucking industry leaders. The Department of Transportation streamed the event live on its official channel; the stream ran about 24 minutes and is now available as a replay.
Freedom Haulers is an interagency initiative launched by the Department of Transportation in July, with the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Department of War and the Department of Labor, to help veterans build careers in trucking by connecting those with heavy military vehicle experience to expedited commercial driver's license (CDL) pathways and trucking jobs.
Under measures the FMCSA announced in July, veterans with experience safely operating heavy military vehicles can apply to skip the CDL skills test for up to two years after leaving service, double the previous one-year window; under the Even Exchange arrangement, qualifying veterans can bypass both the written and driving exams, with participating states now at 34; and carrier Werner has pledged to hire 1,400 veterans and military spouses in 2027.
The department billed the National Mall event as the initiative's Veterans Day update, with program resources collected on the initiative's official pages.
Reference: Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration
Source: U.S. Department of Transportation
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：美国交通部官方直播封面帧，画面为成排的卡车与交通部徽标，本次活动为2026年11月11日退伍军人日在华盛顿国家广场举行的「Freedom Haulers」更新记者会（封面帧底部直播标已裁去）。来源：美国交通部官方频道 / Photo: Cover frame from the U.S. Department of Transportation's official stream, trucks and the department seal for the November 11, 2026 Veterans Day Freedom Haulers update on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. (live badge at the bottom of the cover frame cropped out). Source: U.S. Department of Transportation official channel
