TRANSPORT Jobs Act
The TRANSPORT Jobs Act is a bill that would direct the Secretary of Transportation, within 30 days of enactment, to develop and publicly release an action plan called the “Veteran to Supply Chain Employee Action Plan.” The plan would be created in consultation with the Secretaries of Defense, Veterans Affairs, and Labor. Its purpose is to help members of the Armed Forces who are eligible for preseparation counseling (often nearing military transition) and veterans become supply chain employees—i.e., workers who directly support the movement of goods. The plan would identify barriers and challenges in hiring, training, and retaining veterans in supply chain roles, highlight the skills veterans bring, propose opportunities to expand existing programs, and recommend concrete actions for federal departments and industry stakeholders. The bill emphasizes collaboration with the transportation supply chain industry and organizations representing workers. In short, the bill seeks to create a coordinated, government-involved framework to ease veterans’ transition into logistics and transportation jobs (ports, rails, trucking, warehouses, etc.) by outlining barriers, capabilities, and actionable steps for agencies and employers.
Key Points
- 1Mandatory plan: Requires the Secretary of Transportation to develop and publicly release the “Veteran to Supply Chain Employee Action Plan” within 30 days after enactment, in consultation with the Defense, Veterans Affairs, and Labor departments.
- 2Scope of analysis: The plan must identify barriers for preseparation counseling participants and veterans in employment search, hiring, and training for supply chain careers; challenges faced by supply chain employers; regulatory burdens in hiring veterans; regions with the greatest workforce needs; and trends that deter veterans from pursuing or staying in supply chain work.
- 3Focus on veteran strengths and needs: The plan should highlight specific knowledge, skills, and abilities veterans have that are valuable for supply chain roles, identify competency gaps, and note opportunities to expand or enhance existing programs for veterans to become supply chain employees.
- 4Employer outreach and training: It should propose ways to improve employer outreach programs and strengthen training, mentorship, education, and advancement opportunities to boost veteran participation and retention in the supply chain.
- 5Action-oriented recommendations: The plan must include short- and long-term actions that federal departments (DOT, DOD, VA, DOL) can take to help veterans become supply chain employees.
- 6Stakeholder engagement: The Secretary of Transportation must consult with the transportation supply chain industry, modal transportation employers, and organizations representing modal transportation supply chain employees.
- 7Definition: A “supply chain employee” is defined as an individual directly employed in facilitating the movement of goods.