Related: Trump Talks Infrastructure – But Will He Go Far Enough?
Trump Signs Bills to Help Veterans Become Drivers, Curb Human Trafficking
President Donald Trump signed into law two bills that affect the trucking industry – the Jobs for Our Heroes Act, which helps veterans attain commercial drivers licenses, and the No Human Trafficking on Our Roads Act, which bans drivers who are involved in human trafficking from driving professionally for life.

A new law will make it easier for military vets to transition to civilian trucking jobs. Photo: U.S. Department of Transportation

A new law will make it easier for military vets to transition to civilian trucking jobs.Photo: U.S. Department of Transportation
President Donald Trump signed into law two bills that affect the trucking industry: the Jobs for Our Heroes Act, which helps veterans to become medically certified for commercial driving; and the No Human Trafficking on Our Roads Act, which bans drivers who are involved in human trafficking from commercially driving for life.
The Jobs for Our Heroes Act amends the FAST Act and would allow veterans to receive DOT medical certification from a wider variety of medical professionals employed by the Veterans Administration, improving access to certified examinations. It is a combination of two proposed bills approved by the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure in May 2017.
The expanded list of qualified examiners includes advanced practice nurses, doctors of chiropractic, doctors of medicine, doctors of osteopathy, physician assistants, or other medical professionals at the Department of Veterans Affairs.
The bill would also allow veterans to use experience driving commercial-type vehicles in the Armed Forces to apply for an exemption from all or a portion of federal commercial motor vehicle driving test requirements.
The No Human Trafficking on Our Roads Act directs the Department of Transportation to ban a driver who uses a commercial vehicle to commit a felony involving a severe form of human trafficking from operating a commercial vehicle for life.
To define a severe form of human trafficking, the bill uses the description from the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000. That bill considers severe forms of trafficking to include sex trafficking in which a commercial sex act is induced by force, fraud, or coercion, or in which the person forced to perform the act is a minor under 18 years of age. It also includes in the definition human trafficking for forced or involuntary labor or services.
When the bill was introduced in July 2017 by Sen. John Thune (R-SD), the Owner-Operator Independent Operators Association voiced opposition to it, saying that it unfairly singles out truckers, even though trafficking occurs in many industries and professions.
More Drivers

Why Hiring Truck Drivers Is Getting Harder
Higher recruiting costs, a shrinking driver pool, and renewed pay competition are raising the stakes for fleets heading into 2027.
Read More →
Roehl Offers Truck Drivers $10,000 Retention Incentive
Payments begin after the first load and continue in mileage-based installments for eligible experienced drivers joining the fleet.
Read More →
Platform Science Adds Dispatch and Safety Tools
Four additions to PS Fleet help fleets monitor loads, manage driver coaching, share truck locations and adjust video system settings.
Read More →
When Language Stops the Truck: The Return of ELP Out-of-Service Orders
English language proficiency rules for commercial drivers aren’t new, but renewed out-of-service enforcement has raised the stakes. Here’s what carriers need to know before a driver reaches a roadside inspection.
Read More →
Samsara Launches Custom AI Agent Builder
Agent Studio lets fleets create AI tools for hours-of-service monitoring, reporting and driver support, including agents that communicate by phone.
Read More →
Trucker Path Expands Reserved Parking Network
Trucker Path has added close to 6,000 more truck parking spaces to its Trucker Path Reserved Parking Network with the addition of Safe Truck Parking.
Read More →
EEOC Sues Texas Trucking Company Over Driver Age Limits
The agency says Trancasa USA rejected applicants over 65 and applied tougher driving-record standards to those over 60.
Read More →
Nussbaum, Roehl Announce Second Driver Pay Increase This Year
This year has seen a swath of major truck driver pay increases as freight capacity has tightened.
Read More →
From One Generation to the Next: How Mentorship Builds Safer Truck Drivers
After three decades in trucking, Harold Perry shares what he's learned about driver safety, mentorship, and helping the next generation build confidence behind the wheel.
Read More →
Truck Drivers Need More Than Another Alert
Fleets have more visibility into truck health, safety events, and driver activity than ever. The next challenge is turning all that information into useful guidance for the person who has to decide what to do next.
Read More →
