The U.S. House on Wednesday passed the Veteran Improvement Commercial Driver License Act, which will ensure veterans can utilize their GI benefits at new branches of commercial driver’s license (CDL) schools whose primary institutions have already received regulatory approval
Currently, if an approved trucking school opens a secondary facility in a new location, existing laws require the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and state regulators to deny the branch’s ability to receive GI benefits for two years.
The bill, which was previously passed in the Senate and will now move to President Joe Biden’s desk to be signed into law, would remove that requirement as long as it uses the same curriculum as the primary institutions that have already been approved by the VA and state agencies.
A separate bill that would eliminate redundant fees and background checks for workers seeking multiple TSA-managed credentialing programs was also passed this week by the House Homeland Security Committee.
The Transportation Security Screening Modernization Act would allow workers such as truck drivers to use one background check for multiple TSA programs, such as the Transportation Worker Identification Credentials (TWIC) program and the Hazardous Materials Endorsement.
A Senate version of the bill has previously passed the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science & Transportation to advance to the full Senate. The bill must now pass the full House and Senate before moving to the president’s desk.
[Related: Bill streamlining TSA credentialing advances in Senate]
Gardewine Group Limited Partnership announced it has entered into a definitive share purchase agreement to acquire Westman Courier & Freight, a privately owned company headquartered in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The acquisition is expected to close on Oct. 1.
