Veterans & Military Community Hiring at DOT
CONTINUE YOUR MISSION. MOVE AMERICA FORWARD.
The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) welcomes veterans, transitioning Service Members, military spouses, and eligible family members who are interested in continuing their careers in public service.
Your military experience can bring valuable leadership, technical expertise, adaptability, teamwork, and mission-focused service to DOT. Across the Department, employees help keep people and goods moving safely and efficiently through aviation, highways, transit, rail, maritime transportation, pipelines, vehicle safety, and other critical transportation systems.
Whether you are transitioning from active duty, continuing your federal career, or exploring opportunities as a military spouse or family member, this page can help you understand the hiring paths, programs, and resources available to the military community.
Here you can learn about:
- Hiring initiatives and upcoming events for our veteran and military community
- 1DOT SkillBridge Program
- Veterans' preference
- Veteran-specific hiring authorities
- Military spouse and family member hiring options
- Federal application and documentation requirements
JOIN THE DOT MILITARY COMMUNITY TALENT POOL
Interested in bringing your experience and skills to DOT?
Veterans, transitioning service members, military spouses, and other eligible members of the military community are invited to register for the DOT Military Community Talent Pool.
By registering, you can share information about your professional experience, career interests, preferred work locations, and potential eligibility for federal hiring authorities. This information may help DOT identify qualified individuals for current or future employment opportunities.
Register for the DOT Military Community Talent Pool today!
Registration does not guarantee an interview, referral, or appointment and does not replace applying to positions announced on USAJOBS.
DOT supports initiatives that connect Veterans, transitioning Service members, military spouses, and the broader military community with career opportunities in transportation. Explore featured hiring initiatives and upcoming recruitment events below.
Featured Initiative: Freedom Haulers — New Mission, Same Dedication
The U.S. Department of Transportation is leading Freedom Haulers, an interagency initiative designed to connect Veterans with career opportunities in the trucking industry and make it easier to translate military experience into civilian credentials and careers.
Through the initiative, Veterans can explore resources that may help them:
- Translate military driving experience toward a Commercial Driver’s License (CDL);
- Take advantage of expedited CDL testing and military skills waiver programs;
- Access eligible education, training, and apprenticeship benefits; and
- Connect with trucking employers and career pathways that value military experience.
Freedom Haulers brings together resources from DOT and its federal and industry partners to help Veterans transition from military service to a new mission supporting America's transportation and supply chain network.
Explore Freedom Haulers →
Upcoming Events
There are currently no upcoming Veteran or military community hiring events scheduled. Please check back for future recruitment events, information sessions, and other opportunities to connect with DOT.
1DOT SKILLBRIDGE PROGRAM
The 1DOT SkillBridge Program provides eligible transitioning Service Members with an opportunity to participate in civilian work-based learning experiences during the final period of military service.
DOT SkillBridge participants may gain experience in transportation-related occupations, apply military skills to mission-focused projects, and learn how their experience may translate to federal civilian careers.
Who May Be Eligible?
- SkillBridge is intended for eligible transitioning active-duty Service Members who are approaching an approved separation or retirement date.
- Participation requires approval through the Service Member's command and must comply with applicable Service-specific SkillBridge requirements.
- Specific eligibility requirements, participation periods, and approval processes may vary by military Service.
What Should I Know?
SkillBridge:
- Provides work-based learning experience while the participant remains on active-duty status
- Can help participants explore civilian and federal career fields
- Does not guarantee a federal job
- Is not a federal hiring authority
Service Members interested in federal employment must meet applicable eligibility and qualification requirements and apply through USAJOBS when required.
What is Veterans' Preference?
Veterans' preference gives eligible veterans preference over many other applicants in certain competitive federal hiring processes.
Veterans' preference does not guarantee selection, and it does not apply to every federal hiring action.
Who May Be Eligible?
Veterans' preference eligibility can depend on factors such as:
- Dates and periods of active-duty service
- Receipt of a qualifying campaign badge
- Receipt of a Purple Heart
- A service-connected disability
- Certain sole-survivorship circumstances
In general, the veteran must have been discharged or released from active duty under honorable conditions. Not all military service qualifies for veterans' preference.
What Should I Know?
Applicants claiming veterans' preference should carefully review each job announcement and submit the documentation required to establish eligibility.
Depending on the type of preference claimed, documents may include:
- DD-214
- SF-15, Application for 10-Point Veterans' Preference
- Department of Veterans Affairs documentation
- Other documentation requested in the announcement
Eligible spouses, widows or widowers, and parents may also qualify for certain types of derived veterans' preference under specific circumstances.
Please visit our Special Hiring Authorities and Federal Hiring Paths to learn more.
To learn more about veterans’ preference and determine which preference category may apply to you:
Eligible veterans may have additional opportunities to be considered for federal employment through special noncompetitive appointing authorities.
These authorities allow agencies to appoint qualified, eligible veterans without using traditional competitive examining procedures. Use of these authorities is discretionary. Eligibility does not guarantee an interview, selection, or appointment, and applicants must meet the qualification requirements for the position.
Veterans Recruitment Appointment (VRA)
The Veterans Recruitment Appointment (VRA) allows federal agencies to noncompetitively appoint eligible veterans to certain positions.
Who May Be Eligible?
You may be eligible for VRA if you separated from military service under honorable conditions and meet at least one of the following:
- You are a disabled veteran.
- You received a qualifying campaign badge for service during a war, campaign, or expedition.
- You received an Armed Forces Service Medal or Global War on Terrorism Service Medal for participation in a military operation.
- You separated from active duty within the past three years.
What Should I Know?
- VRA may generally be used for positions up to and including the GS-11 grade level or equivalent.
- Applicants must meet the qualification requirements for the position.
- For qualifying VRA appointments, an individual who satisfactorily completes two years of substantially continuous service may be converted to the competitive service in accordance with applicable requirements.
- VRA may also be used for certain temporary or term appointments; those appointments do not necessarily lead to conversion.
30 Percent or More Disabled Veteran Appointing Authority
The 30 Percent or More Disabled Veteran Appointing Authority allows federal agencies to appoint eligible veterans who have a compensable service-connected disability rating of 30 percent or more.
Who May Be Eligible?
You may be eligible if you:
- Retired from active military service with a service-connected disability rating of 30 percent or more; or
- Have a Department of Veterans Affairs rating showing a compensable service-connected disability of 30 percent or more.
What Should I Know?
- Unlike VRA, there is no grade-level limitation under this authority.
- An eligible veteran must still meet all qualification requirements for the position.
- The authority may be used for temporary or term appointments, and an agency may have authority to convert an eligible individual to a permanent career or career-conditional appointment. Conversion is not guaranteed.
- Applicants should be prepared to provide documentation establishing both military service and the qualifying service-connected disability.
Veterans Seeking Noncompetitive Consideration
Eligible veterans may also submit their federal resume and supporting eligibility documentation to DOT's Veteran Employment Program at VetEmployment@dot.gov for possible consideration for current or future opportunities.
Submitting information to the Talent Pool or Veteran Employment Program does not guarantee an interview, referral, or appointment and does not replace applying through USAJOBS when a vacancy announcement requires an application.
Find DOT Opportunities on USAJOBS
The Veterans Employment Opportunity Act (VEOA), allows certain eligible veterans and preference eligibles to compete for positions announced under merit promotion procedures that might otherwise be limited to current or former federal employees.
Who May Be Eligible?
To be eligible under VEOA, your latest discharge must have been under honorable conditions and you must be either:
- A veterans' preference eligible; or
- A veteran who substantially completed three or more years of active service.
What Should I Know?
- VEOA is not a noncompetitive appointing authority.
- VEOA expands your eligibility to compete for certain positions. Applicants must meet the qualification requirements for the position and compete with other eligible candidates.
- Veterans' preference is not applied as a selection factor in a VEOA merit-promotion action.
VEOA does not guarantee referral, interview, or selection.
Military Spouse Noncompetitive Appointing Authority
The Military Spouse Noncompetitive Appointing Authority allows federal agencies to appoint certain eligible military spouses to competitive-service positions without using traditional competitive examining procedures.
Who May Be Eligible?
The authority may apply to:
- Spouses of members of the Armed Forces on active duty
- Spouses of Service Members who incurred a 100-percent disability because of active-duty service
- Unremarried widows or widowers of Service Members who were killed while on active duty
For spouses of deceased Service Members, the death does not have to be combat-related. The surviving spouse must meet applicable marital-status and documentation requirements.
What Should I Know?
There is no general grade-level limitation under this authority.
Applicants must:
- Meet the qualification requirements for the position
- Provide documentation establishing eligibility
- Follow the application instructions provided by the agency or vacancy announcement
Eligibility under the Military Spouse Noncompetitive Appointing Authority does not provide an entitlement to appointment or guarantee selection.
Derived Veterans' Preference for Eligible Family Members
In certain circumstances, a spouse, widow or widower, or parent of a veteran may be eligible to claim veterans' preference based on the veteran's qualifying service or disability.
This is known as derived veterans' preference because the family member's eligibility is derived from the veteran's service.
Derived veterans' preference is not a noncompetitive hiring authority. Instead, it provides eligible family members with veterans' preference in certain competitive federal hiring processes. Eligible individuals may receive 10-point preference when the applicable requirements are met.
Who May Be Eligible?
Depending on the circumstances, derived preference may be available to certain:
- Spouses of veterans who are unable to qualify for federal employment because of a service-connected disability
- Widows or widowers of qualifying veterans
- Parents of deceased veterans
- Parents of veterans who are permanently and totally disabled because of a service-connected injury or illness
Parents of Deceased Veterans
A parent may be eligible for derived preference if their son or daughter died under honorable conditions while serving during a qualifying period of military service and the parent meets additional requirements.
The parent must generally be either:
- Unmarried
- Legally separated from their spouse; or
- Married to a spouse who is totally and permanently disabled
Eligibility depends on the veteran's qualifying service and the parent's individual circumstances.
What Should I Know?
Derived preference is different from the Military Spouse Noncompetitive Appointing Authority.
Eligible family members claiming derived preference may be required to submit SF-15, Application for 10-Point Veterans' Preference, along with supporting documentation establishing eligibility.
Applicants should review the applicable federal guidance and the "Required Documents" section of each USAJOBS announcement carefully.
Learn more:
Most DOT job opportunities are posted on USAJOBS, the federal government’s official employment site.
Each announcement explains:
- Who may apply
- Qualification requirements
- Required documentation
- How applicants will be evaluated
- Which hiring paths are available
- Whether veterans' preference or a veteran-specific hiring authority may apply
Before applying, applicants should:
- Create or update your USAJOBS profile.
- Prepare your federal resume.
- Review the "This job is open to" section to determine which hiring paths may apply to you.
- Review the qualifications and eligibility requirements.
- Read the "Required Documents" section carefully.
- Upload all required documentation.
- Review your application before submitting it.
- Submit your application before the announcement closes.
Applicants may be eligible for more than one hiring path or appointing authority. Review each announcement carefully and apply under all hiring paths for which you are eligible.
Veteran-specific hiring authorities may provide additional ways to be considered, but applicants must still meet the qualification requirements for the position.
- Find DOT Opportunities on USAJOBS
- Register for the DOT Military Community Talent Pool
Veterans and eligible military-affiliated applicants should review each USAJOBS announcement carefully to determine which documents are required.
Common documents may include:
Federal Resume
- Your resume should clearly demonstrate how your experience meets the qualifications and specialized experience identified in the job announcement.
- Tip: Review the USAJOBS announcement carefully and make sure your resume clearly shows how your experience meets the listed qualifications and does not exceed the applicable two-page limit.
DD-214, Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty
- Applicants claiming veterans' preference may be required to submit a DD-214 showing the information necessary to determine eligibility.
- Tip: When required, submit the Member 4 or Service 2 copy that displays your character of service. A copy that does not include this information may not be sufficient to establish veterans' preference.
SF-15, Application for 10-Point Veterans' Preference
- The SF-15 may be required when claiming certain types of veterans' preference.
VA Disability Documentation
- Applicants claiming eligibility based on a service-connected disability may need to provide documentation establishing their disability rating.
Hiring Authority Documentation
- Additional documentation may be required to establish eligibility for a particular veteran, military spouse, or other special hiring authority.
Education, Licenses, and Certifications
Depending on the position, applicants may also need to provide:
- Transcripts
- Professional licenses
- Certifications
- Other documentation identified in the vacancy announcement
Uploading complete and accurate documentation is an important part of the federal application process. Missing or insufficient documentation may affect eligibility or consideration.