FMCSA Sets $1 Million to Train Veterans for Transportation Jobs

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration announced it is making almost $1 million in grants available to help train U.S. military veterans for jobs in the transportation industry.

 The grants were awarded to six colleges as part of the Commercial Motor Vehicle Operator Safety Training grant program.

“The transportation industry provides a unique opportunity for military families and veterans to utilize skills they developed in the service, and we hope these grants will lead to more veterans joining the ranks of our country’s commercial vehicle drivers,” said Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx.

“The least we can do for the men and women who put their lives on the line for our country is to help ensure they can find good jobs when they leave the service,” Foxx said in a statement.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics lists commercial trucking as a high-demand job, with more than 300,000 additional positions expected by 2020.

“These grants represent one of the many steps [FMCSA] has taken to help veterans as they move from military to civilian life,” said FMCSA Administrator Anne Ferro. “From allowing states to consider military experience in their licensing tests to supporting industry job fairs, we are committed to helping our veterans transition into quality jobs.”

The grants, which could provide training for as many as 300 new students, were awarded to:

• Grays Harbor College, Aberdeen, Wash. ($131,041)

• Long Beach Community College District, Long Beach, Calif. ($211,733)

• Orangeburg-Calhoun Technical College, Orangeburg, S.C. ($150,000)

• Lone Star College, Woodlands, Texas ($184,260)

• Century College, White Bear Lake, Minn. ($120,000)

• Joliet Junior College, Joliet, Ill. ($176,427)

FMCSA in May 2011 finalized its commercial learner's permit rule, which gives state driver licensing agencies the authority to waive the skills portion of the commercial driver license test if the applicant demonstrates two years of safe driving experience in military equivalents of commercial motor vehicles.