New TRANSPORT Jobs Act Aims to Fast-Track Veterans into Critical Supply Chain Roles

The new Transitioning Retiring And New Service Members to Port Ocean Rail and Truck Jobs Act—or the TRANSPORT Jobs Act—is a straightforward piece of legislation designed to connect veterans directly with jobs moving goods across the country. Essentially, this bill mandates a high-level, interagency strategy session to figure out how to get more people with military experience into the logistics, shipping, and transport sectors.

The 30-Day Action Plan Mandate

This bill requires the Secretary of Transportation to team up with the Secretaries of Defense, Veterans Affairs, and Labor to create and publicly release a new "Veteran to Supply Chain Employee Action Plan" within a tight 30-day window after the bill becomes law (Sec. 2). That’s a fast turnaround for four major government agencies. The goal is to create a detailed playbook for transitioning service members into what the bill defines as a "supply chain employee"—anyone directly involved in moving goods.

Breaking Down the Barriers to Entry

The core of this plan is identifying friction points. The agencies must pinpoint the specific hurdles that separating service members and veterans face when trying to get training, interviews, or jobs in the supply chain industry. This means looking at everything from licensing headaches to how well military skills translate on a civilian resume. For example, if a veteran spent five years maintaining complex vehicle fleets in the military, the plan needs to figure out why they might struggle to get a job as a diesel mechanic or logistics manager without expensive, redundant civilian training.

The plan also has to look at the employer side: what makes it hard for companies to hire and retain veterans? And perhaps most importantly, the plan must identify the geographic areas in the U.S. with the most urgent need for these workers. This is about making sure that training and outreach efforts are targeted where the labor shortages are the worst, whether that’s a major port, a rail hub, or a trucking corridor in the Midwest.

Maximizing Military Skills for Civilian Work

One of the most practical requirements of the TRANSPORT Jobs Act is forcing the agencies to clearly articulate which military skills are most valuable in supply chain jobs. Think about the skills veterans already have: managing complex inventory, operating heavy machinery, coordinating logistics under pressure, and maintaining detailed records. The plan must identify ways to strengthen existing transition programs to focus on these transferable skills, making the pitch to employers much clearer. To keep the plan grounded in reality, the Secretary of Transportation must consult with the industry itself—the employers and the worker groups—to ensure the recommendations are practical and effective, not just theoretical government paperwork.