An Army veteran and trucking company executive who attended President Donald Trump's Wednesday announcement about a new initiative called "Freedom Haulers" at the White House praised the new plan to provide a boost to the industry."I came down here to support the cause of getting into an industry that is always in need," said Tom Jacques, the director of Department of Transportation (DOT) compliance at Waste Management.Jacques is also the chairman of the board of directors for the Pennsylvania Motor Trucking Association.Jacques, whose biography says he enlisted in the Army and joined the 3rd US Infantry as an escort to the President, called the plan "wonderful."President Donald Trump delivers remarks during a White House event announcing the Freedom Haulers Initiative alongside Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy.
(Peter D'Abrosca/Fox News Digital)TRUMP TAPS VETERANS TO FIX ILLEGAL ALIEN TRUCKING PROBLEM PLAGUING US ROADWAYS"It's wonderful to get skilled workers who are disciplined [and] dedicated into an industry that requires discipline and dedication," Jacques told Fox News Digital at the White House."You don't get behind the wheel of a tractor-trailer — 80,000 pounds — without understanding the need to be disciplined and to be safe.
So it's nice to have that, to tap into a large workforce as they transition out of the military and into the next career field."Under the initiative, qualified veterans with heavy-vehicle experience gained during military service can apply to waive the CDL road-skills test, allowing them to avoid duplicating training they received in the military.Certain veterans in participating states — 34 of them so far — may also qualify for a waiver of the written knowledge test.Veterans without military truck-driving experience will be eligible for expedited training that administration officials said could be completed in several weeks.Tom Jacques is an Army veteran, trucking executive and Chairman of the Board of Directors for the...