Missouri Aims to Make Truck Driving Careers Easier for Veterans to Attain
As a logistics company in Aurora, CO that serves all of the continental United States and Canada, the team here at Osage Specialized Transport understands how difficult it can sometimes be to find fully qualified, reliable and trustworthy drivers. We are lucky to have a strong team currently working for us, but we are also always looking for promising new recruits, and the pickings can sometimes be limited.
That is why we are excited about the possibilities currently being explored to make the truck driving career path easier for military service veterans to explore. The state of Missouri is currently leading the way to make this a possibility across the entire country.
Here is a run down of what the current rules are, how Missouri wants them changed and why it matters to your logistics company in Aurora, CO.
Understanding the basics
All drivers hoping to someday be a professional truck driver must first pass the Commercial Driver’s License Skills Test, or CDL test. Currently, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration offers a limited exemption for military service veterans.
If a veteran has direct experience operating large motor vehicles as part of their military service, the FMCSA allows them a 90-day waiver period after discharge. This means that right now, a recently discharged military veteran could receive a CDL without taking the skills test, provided they returned to civilian life within the last three months.
Now, the state of Missouri is saying that although this waiver is a positive thing for our nation’s veterans, it does not go far enough in helping them set forth on a stable career path. Instead, Missouri is saying to the FMCSA that this waiver period should be extended to a full year after the veteran returns to civilian life.
Experienced and ready
Missouri’s argument for extending this waiver period is simple and straightforward: 90 days simply is not enough time for many veterans who are just returning to civilian life. Each year, the waiver program currently must turn away many applicants, and the number one reason for turning them away is that their 90-day period has recently ended.
According to the Missouri officials making this argument, there is no substantial reason not to increase the waiver period to a full year. They argue that any veteran who specialized in motor vehicle operations in the military already has the skills and experience to be a commercial truck driver, and a few months is not going to change that.
Support our veterans
Osage Specialized Transport is proud to support Missouri’s efforts in extending the veteran waiver period for the CDL test from 90 days to a full year. As a logistics company in Aurora, CO, we recognize that military service veterans make up a significant portion of our industry, and we fully support any efforts to make things a little easier for them.
If you are a recent military veteran looking to get into the logistics industry, please get in touch with Osage Specialized Transport soon.
