Trump announces plan to replace immigrant truck drivers with 'proud American veterans'

CARLISLE, PENNSYLVANIA: President Donald Trump announced on Wednesday, July 15, that his administration plans to replace immigrant truck drivers with American military veterans, saying former service members who operated heavy military vehicles would automatically qualify for commercial driver's licenses.

Speaking at the Pennsylvania Defense and Innovation Summit, Trump linked the proposal to the recent death of a Pennsylvania state trooper who was killed in a crash involving a truck driven by an immigrant.

The proposal marks the administration's latest immigration and workforce policy initiative as officials continue tightening transportation enforcement.

Trump unveils veteran-first trucking plan 

Trump said his administration would soon roll out what he described as a "historic action" targeting truck drivers who are in the country illegally while expanding opportunities for military veterans.

"My administration will soon take historic action to get illegal alien truck drivers who are just killing a lot of people. They can't read signs... and they shouldn't be driving these things, and they came in totally illegally, and they, we don't want them," Trump said.

"But they are driving all over American roadways, and we're going to replace them with proud American veterans." 

The president added that veterans with experience operating heavy military vehicles would receive expedited eligibility for commercial driver's licenses.

"We're going to take our veterans, we're going to make them, we're going to teach them a lot about driving trucks. 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. So we're going to get them taken care of." 

Trump introduced the proposal while referencing the death of Pennsylvania State Trooper Michael E Pahira, who was killed two weeks earlier while inspecting a commercial vehicle along Interstate 81.

Authorities said another truck left the roadway, triggering a chain-reaction crash that struck the trooper.

The driver, Michael Bon, has been charged with vehicular homicide and involuntary manslaughter.

Federal immigration authorities later lodged a detainer after officials said Bon had entered the United States in 2024 under a humanitarian parole program before later being denied Temporary Protected Status.

Sean Duffy backs Trump's trucking proposal

Trump's announcement follows broader efforts by the administration to tighten commercial driving rules affecting immigrants.

Earlier this year, officials revoked thousands of commercial driving privileges held by immigrants as part of broader transportation and immigration enforcement measures.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy publicly endorsed the president's proposal shortly after the announcement. "Replace illegal alien truck drivers with proud American veterans," Duffy wrote on X. "This is common sense. Thank you POTUS for putting Americans first."

The proposal was unveiled during the two-day Pennsylvania Defense and Innovation Summit, which brought together senior administration officials and executives from major defense contractors, including Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Senator Dave McCormick, Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg, and Lockheed Martin CEO Jim Taiclet.

The administration has not specified when the licensing changes would take effect or outlined the regulatory process required to automatically qualify military vehicle operators for civilian commercial driving credentials.