President Donald Trump has launched a new initiative dubbed “Freedom Haulers,” aimed at replacing foreign truck drivers with American military veterans, a move that could carry significant consequences for Kenyans working in the United States trucking industry.
Unveiling the programme at the White House alongside trucking executives, Trump said the campaign was designed to get unqualified foreign drivers off American roads while opening opportunities for veterans.
“We’re taking action to replace these unqualified, migrant drivers with highly qualified American veterans,” he said, adding that any American who drove heavy vehicles in the military would automatically qualify for a commercial driver’s licence.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the administration was determined to restore order to the industry after uncovering widespread licensing failures. “Illegals are out. American patriots are in, in this administration,” he said, noting that many trucking firms had already reached out seeking to hire more veterans.
Under the initiative, veterans who operated heavy military vehicles will bypass the commercial driver’s licence skills test altogether, while those without such experience will undergo accelerated training that officials say can be completed within weeks. The GI Bill will cover the full cost of training for eligible veterans, with some also qualifying for a housing stipend during the programme.
The push follows a broader crackdown that has already seen more than 24,000 commercial licences pulled over failure to meet English-language proficiency requirements, alongside roughly 28,000 more voided for having been issued improperly to non-citizens. Only holders of specific visa categories, including H-2A, H-2B and E-2, remain eligible for non-domiciled commercial licences under the tightened rules, though the changes face ongoing court challenges.
For the Kenyan diaspora in America, estimated at between 122,000 and 164,000 people, the tightened enforcement carries real weight. While not all Kenyans in the US work in trucking, a number are employed as commercial drivers, placing them among the foreign nationals whose licences and job prospects could be affected by the new rules.
Werner Enterprises, one of the companies backing the initiative, announced plans to hire 1,400 additional veteran drivers over the next year, joining 34 states that have already signed on to the campaign.
The administration has tied the crackdown to a string of fatal crashes involving foreign drivers, including a deadly incident in Florida last August, arguing that stricter licensing standards are necessary to improve highway safety nationwide.
