Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images
© 2026 Blaze Media LLC. All rights reserved.
President Donald Trump says thousands of illegal alien truck drivers put Americans at risk on U.S. highways — but he has a solution.
Trump spoke at the White House on Thursday, providing plenty of context for his new program that hopes to encourage former military members to get back on the road.
'They don't speak the language for the most part. ... They don't want to learn the language.'
The president cited tens of thousands of illegal commercial driver's licenses being distributed across the United States, which have resulted in the deaths of Americans in recent months.
One such case of an Indian truck driver, who is an illegal immigrant, was directly criticized by Department of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, who took the state of California to task over the alien's ability to get a CDL.
"For many years, American highways and roadways have been terrorized by unqualified illegal aliens dangerously driving big rigs," Trump said from the podium.
"They don't speak the language for the most part. Many of these illegal aliens don't even come close. They don't want to learn the language," he added.
Trump then announced a new pathway for American veterans to replace the illegal truckers who are taking up space on the road. The government program is titled Freedom Haulers, and it will fast-track the licensing of veterans who have experience with air brakes, trailers, and the like from their time in the military.
"We want veterans to take the wheel of big rigs and secure the economic supply lines of the country you swore to defend," the federal website reads.
RELATED: ROAD RULES REFRESH: Forgot how to drive? Let Uncle Josh bring you up to speed.
The program promises up to 100% of tuition coverage for approved CDL programs that can result in annual salary of $70,000 for truckers.
The administration also stated that after annual earnings of truckers were down 3% under President Joe Biden, they have risen by 7.42% under Trump, which will provide great opportunity for the 25% of military veterans who are truckers.
"Any American who has driven a heavy truck for our military will automatically be eligible for a commercial driver's license. ... We're going to make it as easy as possible for the veterans," the commander in chief explained.
RELATED: TATTLETALE EXPRESS: School buses may soon become America's largest mobile surveillance network
Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images
The president also claimed that federal authorities had "already removed more than 24,000 non-English speakers from behind the wheel."
"We've also forced states to cancel more than 28,000 commercial driver's licenses unlawfully issued to illegal aliens. They were given illegally," Trump added.
Secretary Duffy firmly stated on Thursday, "Illegal alien truckers are OUT, and American Veterans are IN."
"Thank you, [President Trump,] for putting OUR safety first," Duffy added.
Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!
Want to leave a tip?
We answer to you. Help keep our content free of advertisers and big tech censorship by leaving a tip today.
Want to join the conversation?
Already a subscriber?
