Trump vows to replace illegal truck drivers with American veterans

Trump the president said military veterans who drove heavy trucks will automatically qualify for commercial licenses, as his administration targets 194,000 noncitizen CDL holders nationwide.

First Published: July 19, 2026, 10:20 AM ET

WASHINGTON D.C. — Donald Trump said military veterans will replace illegal truck drivers taken off American roads.

Here is the full post on truthsocial: “Trump says “proud American veterans” will replace illegal immigrant truck drivers: https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/white-house/4.7 million/trump-veterans-replace-illegal-immigrant-truck-drivers/”

Trump announced at the Pennsylvania Defense and Innovation Summit that veterans who drove heavy trucks for the military will automatically qualify for a commercial driver’s license, according to washingtonexaminer. He tied the pledge to the death of a Pennsylvania state trooper killed this month in a collision with a truck driver who had entered the country illegally.

“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,” Trump said at the summit. He added that his administration would “replace them with proud American veterans.”

The pledge lands as Washington pursues a nationwide effort to remove truck drivers whose legal status has expired. Federal immigration officers were dispatched to truck weigh stations at select sites to search for nearly 200,000 noncitizens who received CDLs, according to washingtonexaminer. Over the past year the administration rescinded 28,000 licenses it deemed illegally issued and is now pursuing 194,000 more holders.

The stakes reach beyond politics into the nation’s supply chain. Foreign-born commercial drivers make up 18% of all commercial drivers, according to washingtonexaminer estimates from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Removing them could tighten a labor pool that moves most freight across the country, while opening a path for former service members seeking civilian work.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said in February that all commercial truck drivers must complete their license tests in English only, according to washingtonexaminer. Duffy expressed concern that motor vehicle offices in several states allowed people on work permits to obtain licenses they could keep using after the permits expired.

For the average reader, the change touches the price and speed of nearly everything delivered by truck. A shrinking driver pool can raise shipping costs and slow deliveries, though the veteran licensing pathway aims to backfill vacancies with trained drivers.

Has this happened before? Immigration enforcement tied to commercial licensing has surfaced during this administration before, though a veteran replacement pledge marks a newer turn. The push follows the February English-only testing directive and the earlier rescission of 28,000 licenses, showing a sustained campaign rather than a single announcement.

Who decides next remains with federal transportation and immigration officials carrying out the license reviews. A specific date for finalizing the veteran CDL pathway has not been announced.

Trump has leaned on the “proud American” theme before to define national identity. At Mount Rushmore on the eve of Independence Day, he said the nation’s identity is rooted in freedom, faith and self-reliance, according to thehansindia.com. “In America, we speak English because that is the language of our founding,” he said in that speech, a line that echoes the licensing policy now driving veterans toward the wheel.