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Apr 1, 2006 12:00 PM

The American Trucking Associations announced its support for legislation introduced by Sens Conrad Burns (R-MT) and Mark Pryor (D-AR) that will ease the transition of military veterans to civilian jobs and provide a partial answer to the nation's truck driver shortage.

Known as the Veterans Employment Training Act of 2006, S.2416 would add trucking to the list of industry sectors for which servicemen and women moving to the civilian job market could receive expedited financial aid.

Under the current Montgomery GI Bill, the Veterans Administration covers up to 60% of the cost of some educational benefits to make short-term, high-cost training programs more attractive to veterans. However, these lump sum benefits are available only to veterans pursuing high-tech occupations. The Burns-Pryor legislation would add trucking to the list that now includes the construction, hospitality, financial services, energy, homeland security, and health care.

The long-haul, heavy-duty truck transportation industry in the United States is experiencing a national shortage of 20,000 truck drivers. That shortage of long-haul truck drivers could increase to 111,000 by 2014 if current demographic trends stay their course and if the overall labor force continues to grow at a slower pace.