Inside Trump’s Patriotic Plan To Replace Illegal Immigrant Truck Drivers

President Trump is fast-tracking American Veterans into the trucking industry after a series of fatal crashes involving illegal immigrants.

“We’re going to say any American who’s driven a heavy truck for our military will automatically be eligible for a commercial driver’s license,” he said at the Pennsylvania Defense and Innovation Summit. 

He made the announcement in Pennsylvania in honor of State Trooper Michael Phaira, who was killed on July 1 after being struck by an illegal Haitian immigrant. Michael Bon, the illegal alien who killed Phaira, allegedly dragged the state trooper under the truck “for quite some distance down the road” as it caught fire. Bon obtained his Commercial Driver’s License from Massachusetts. 

Trump called the move historic, saying illegal immigrants with commercial drivers’ licenses are “killing a lot of people.” He added, “They can’t read signs and many of them are on drugs or alcohol, and they shouldn’t be driving these things … they’re driving all over America on roadways and we are going to replace them with proud American Veterans.”

According to Trump’s new plan, American Veterans with two years of experience safely operating heavy military vehicles will be able to bypass the traditional CDL training process which takes up to three to eight weeks often costing participants between $3,000 and $6,000. Military truck drivers are trained to face long, unpredictable hours in all types of climates. Often they are also trained to make their own vehicle repairs and have experience driving through combat zones and at all hours of the day and night. 

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy is working to tighten restrictions on CDL applications after a series of recent crashes involving illegal immigrant truckers. Duffy is pushing for English language requirements and promised to withhold federal funding from states issuing licenses who do not comply. 

“These senseless tragedies are why I am working my heart out to change the policies that encouraged illegal drivers, enabled shady trucker schools, and drove down the wages for American truckers,” Duffy said after Phaira’s death. “Trooper Phaira — Rest in peace,” he added.