LoginThe Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has announced that it will pitch in approximately $1 million to help train military veterans for jobs in the transportation industry.
Transport Topic News reported that the group awarded the money to six colleges across the United States as part of the Commercial Vehicle Operator Safety Training grant program, which aims at closing a growing skills gap within the sector.
"The transportation industry provides a unique opportunity for military families and veterans to utilize skills they developed in the service, and we hope these grants will lead to more veterans joining the ranks of our country's commercial vehicle drivers," said Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx, the news source reported.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, trucking companies hired 40,000 workers over the past year and more than 300,000 additional positions are expected to open by 2020.
The shortage is expected to worsen in the wake of new regulations that went into effect July 1 to reduce the number of hours a driver can be on the road during a week. The Truckload Carriers Association said the new rules will hurt business and has filed a lawsuit in an appeals court in Washington, D.C.
"It's safe to say, nobody's really happy with the rules," David Heller, director of safety and policy for the Truckload Carriers Association, told CNN.