FMCSA Doubles Funding For Program Training Vets To Be Bus Drivers

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) is doubling down on its efforts to reintegrate veterans into the civilian workforce by providing $2.3 million in grants to 13 technical and community colleges across the country to help train veterans to be truck and bus drivers.

The money will be given to schools nationwide who provide truck driving and CDL training for hundreds of new students.

The U.S. Department of Transportation is doubling its funding of the program conducted through the FMCSA Commercial Motor Vehicle-Operator Safety Training (CMV-OST) grant program.

“We doubled the amount we have previously provided through this grant program because of the important role qualified commercial truck and bus drivers hold in moving our economy forward,” said Scott Darling, acting administrator for FMCSA.

According to Duane DeBruyne, deputy director of communications for FMCSA, the program hopes to expand the number of CDL holders with enhanced safety training in order to reduce the overall number and severity of crashes involving both large trucks and buses. This program allows them to reach that goal while also assisting veterans, including National Guard members, reservists, and spouses.

“Across all the commercial driving sectors, and certainly including school bus operations, qualified, well trained drivers are always needed,” said DeBruyne.

The schools chosen to receive funding include several accredited public and private colleges, universities, vocational-technical schools, post-secondary educational institutions, truck driver training schools, and associations.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx told School Transportation News Online one of the fastest growing employment markets in America is for qualified commercial vehicle drivers, which Foxx said was “one of the most important.”

“We support job opportunities for veterans who have served our country, but not only because it is the right thing to do, it also makes good sense. Veterans bring invaluable experience to the industry and can enter the workforce quickly,” said Foxx.