House passes bills aimed at getting more veterans into trucks

The U.S. House of Representatives on Monday passed two separate bills in an effort make it easier for qualified military veterans to obtain their commercial driver’s licenses.    The U.S. House of Representatives on Monday passed two bills aimed at getting more military veterans behind the wheel of commercial trucks.
   The first bill, the Veterans Expanded Trucking Opportunities Act of 2017 (H.R. 2547), will expand to all Veterans Administration medical professionals the ability to provide physical exams on eligible veterans and issue the medical certificates required to operate commercial motor vehicles, if certain requirements are met. The bill was introduced by Rep. Rob Woodall, R-Ga.
   And the Active Duty Voluntary Acquisition of Necessary Credentials for Employment (ADVANCE) Act (H.R. 2258), introduced by Rep. Pete Aguilar, D-Calif., exempts active duty military and reserve personnel with qualifying experience from certain testing requirements when they seek to obtain a commercial driver’s license.
   Both bills were approved by a vote of 409-0.
   “These common-sense bills will make it easier for National Guardsmen, Reservists and veterans to find good, family-wage jobs,” said Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Ranking Member Peter DeFazio, D-Ore., in a statement. “I urge our Senate colleagues to pass these bipartisan bills.”
   Lawmakers are hopeful that these changes will help ease country’s looming truck driver shortage.