Ohio’s new $3 million tax credit program aims to help trucking companies offset costs for CDL training.
“Ohio is a state that makes things, and commercial drivers are essential to getting our products from here to there,” Gov. Mike DeWine said Nov. 9. “This program takes a major step towards a more competitive, skilled and agile workforce in Ohio that is poised to lead the future of manufacturing and trucking.”
The governor’s announcement of the Commercial Driver’s License Training Program for Ohio businesses to help raise skills for current and future employees.
He was accompanied by Lt. Gov. Jon Husted and Lydia Mihalik, director of the state department of development.
“By supporting individuals through tax credits for CDL training, we’re not just helping businesses, we’re helping truck and bus drivers, and taking another positive step to attract people to a profession that is in desperate need of drivers,” Husted noted. “It’s a strategic move that benefits everyone — employers, workers and the state’s economy.”
“It’s important for us as a state to grow and maintain this industry as Ohio builds on its legacy as the heart of manufacturing,” Mihalik said. “Just as it’s imperative for Ohio’s businesses to stay ahead in a competitive global market, it’s essential that we have the skilled workforce to support them.”
Applications for the CDL Training Program, created by Ohio House Bill 66 in the 134th Ohio General Assembly from January 2021 to December 2022, will be released once every year starting this calendar year through 2026.
The deadline for applications is Dec. 1, funds will be awarded on a first-come, first-serve basis with awards being announced by Dec. 31.
In October, Husted initiated an InnovateOhio campaign to pave the way to easier CDLs for truck drivers.
“These latest CDL improvements for Ohio truckers are the latest in a series of BMV innovations, in collaboration with InnovateOhio,” BMV Registrar Charlie Norman said Oct. 10. “To date, these modernizations have saved Ohioans over 4.5 million trips to deputy registrar locations and more than 500,000 hours of standing in line.”
