The city will make it easier for New Yorkers on probation to gain a commercial driver's license by providing access to an existing training program.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani, Mayor’s Office of Criminal Justice Director Deanna Logan and Department of Probation Commissioner Sharun Goodwin on Thursday announced the expansion of Next Mile NYC, a commercial driver’s license training program to eligible New Yorkers on probation.
The expansion creates a direct pathway from community supervision to stable, family-sustaining careers in the commercial trucking industry. The new partnership extends Next Mile NYC to more than 11,000 New Yorkers currently under DOP supervision across the five boroughs, building on the program that gives training to justice-involved New Yorkers and people in custody on Rikers Island, officials said.
Through workforce development organization Emerge Career, participants complete a 40-hour online CDL training course, earn their commercial learner’s permits, receive behind-the-wheel instruction a
Since the program's launch in 2025, 306 participants earned CLPs and 187 have obtained CDLs, while 111 participants secured full-time employment, earning an average salary of $73,573 and a median salary of $75,000.
“Public safety is built by creating the conditions that allow people to establish stable lives,” Mamdani said in a statement. "Expanding Next Mile NYC means thousands more New Yorkers on probation will have access to good-paying jobs, a pathway to long-term stability and the chance to provide for their families."
The program advances public safety, reduces recidivism and strengthens the city's economy by investing in opportunity instead of incarceration, officials said.
