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President Biden touted the progress of his administration’s Trucking Action Plan on Monday, according to NBC News.

Trucking action plan: The Biden administration unveiled the Trucking Action Plan in December with plans to bolster America’s trucking workforce through an investment in recruitment, training and the expediting of commercial driver’s licenses.

Trucking job growth: President Biden said last year was the best year in terms of trucking job growth since 1994. Trucking job growth has continued in the first quarter of 2022, and earlier this year, the U.S marked its best three-month stretch for long-distance trucking hiring since the 1990s.

• “We’ve got to keep it going; we’re building a better economy around American manufacturing and American supply chains,” said President Biden. “You [truck drivers] make it run; you literally make it run.”

By the numbers: Since January 2021, more than 876,000 commercial driver’s licenses required to operate trucks have been granted. There are 35,000 more truckers today than there was before the pandemic began.

Trucking costs: Trucking costs rose 20% last year as a decline in truckers over the past decade mixed with a surge in demand for goods caused by the pandemic. The decrease in truckers, which preceded the pandemic, is due largely to high turnover.

Next steps: “To improve retention and prevent fast turnover in the trucking industry, the administration has nearly doubled apprenticeship programs for trucking through 100 employers and seven trade associations, the White House said. It also held multiple listening sessions with truck drivers, advocates and unions to understand how to make trucking jobs more appealing and high quality.”