This week, we celebrated the millions of workers who move the food, fuel, supplies, and goods that keep our country running: our truck drivers. National Truck Driver Appreciation Week reminds us to thank those who undertake one of our economy’s most demanding and important jobs.
These 3.6 million professional men and women not only deliver our goods safely, securely, and on time, they drive countless miles, sacrificing time with their families and loved ones.
Nearly every aspect of our daily lives is made possible because these professionals deliver the goods and resources we need: the food in our grocery stores, the goods that stock the shelves in our Main Street businesses, new clothes for the back-to-school season, and more.
As a senior member of the Senate Commerce Committee, I have prioritized engaging with professional truck drivers and learning about the challenges they face in their day-to-day jobs. When they raised concerns about freight fraud, I knew I had to do something. Inadequate enforcement of federal regulations left gaps that enabled bad actors to hold hardworking Americans’ money and belongings hostage during moves across the country.
That is why I introduced my Household Goods Shipping Consumer Protection Act. This bill would restore the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s authority to crack down on this type of fraud. I was proud to see my bill advance out of committee, and I’m pushing for its passage.
Boosting the talent pipeline is another issue trucking industry stakeholders brought to my attention. Working alongside these advocates, I successfully got my Veteran Improvement Commercial Driver License Act enacted into law. Now, veterans who want to build a career in trucking can use their GI Bill benefits sooner at trucking schools so they can access quality training and a good-paying job. This strengthens the trucking industry’s workforce, training more drivers who can deliver essential goods safely and on time.
When Republicans took control of the White House, Senate, and House of Representatives in 2025, we took another meaningful step to tear down red tape strangling our truckers. Congress passed and the president signed my resolution to repeal a Biden administration waiver that allowed California to impose new requirements on the truck manufacturing industry nationwide. California’s stringent emissions requirements for heavy-duty trucks and diesel engines would have crushed truckers and manufacturers with higher costs. In turn, these costs would be passed on to American families. I’m glad that Congress passed my resolution to get rid of this burdensome regulation.
I am grateful to America’s truckers not only for the long, hard work they do each day, but also for sharing their stories, experiences, and challenges with me. This is what makes me a more effective legislator: listening to those who elected me to serve and working with them to develop solutions to the obstacles they face.
Please join me in thanking the truck drivers across Nebraska and America for the many miles they drive. We depend on them for so much more than we realize.
Thank you for participating in the democratic process. I look forward to visiting with you again next week.
