President Donald Trump has signed into law a bill introduced by U.S. Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) that streamlines the process by which active-duty military members and reservists can obtain their Commercial Driver's Licenses to get future jobs.
The law, called the Jobs for Our Heroes Act, exempts current and former service members from all or a portion of civilian commercial vehicle driving tests if they had already obtained similar driving experience in the military.
Under prior law, that exemption only applied to certain veterans. Active-duty military members and reservists were not exempt. So, the Department of Transportation had granted a two-year exemption allowing states to waive the commercial driver's license knowledge test for those service members who had not been included. Now, Cornyn's law makes that exemption permanent.
“This bill shows our veterans that after all of their hard work defending our nation, after everything they've sacrificed for us, we have their backs,” Sen. Cornyn said in a statement. “Now that this bill has been signed into law, veterans will be able to more easily transfer the commercial driving skills they've honed in the military to civilian life, and therefore more easily find jobs that pair well with their skill set.”
The new law also makes it easier for veterans to access DOT-required health examinations. Previously, those attempting to get their commercial driver's licenses had been traveling long distances to be examined by specially-certified physicians. The new law makes it easier for VA medical professionals to get certified, allowing them to offer more examinations at more locations.
