Mayor Mamdani Expands Next Mile NYC, Connecting New Yorkers on Probation to Careers in the High-Paying Trucking Industry

 

Mamdani administration expands commercial driver’s license training and career support to thousands of New Yorkers under community supervision  

   

Program advances public safety, reduces recidivism and strengthens New York City’s economy by investing in opportunity instead of incarceration  

  

Next Mile NYC has connected nearly 200 justice-involved New Yorkers to full-time job offers with starting salaries exceeding $70,000  

Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani, Mayor’s Office of Criminal Justice (MOCJ) Director Deanna Logan and Department of Probation (DOP) Commissioner Sharun Goodwin today announced the expansion of the City’s successful Next Mile NYC Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) 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’s success serving justice-involved New Yorkers in the community and its March 2026 expansion to people in custody on Rikers Island.  

  

“Public safety is built by creating the conditions that allow people to establish stable lives,” said Mayor Mamdani. "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. When we invest in opportunity, we reduce recidivism, strengthen our economy and make our city safer for all.”  

  

“Next Mile NYC is how our city invests in gainful careers that support public safety,” said Deanna Logan, Director of the Mayor’s Office of Criminal Justice. “By expanding this program to New Yorkers under community supervision, we are creating more pathways to financial stability, while removing a significant barrier from individuals returning to their community.”  

   

“Expanding Next Mile NYC ensures more New Yorkers have the chance to gain valuable skills, secure stable employment, and successfully reintegrate into their communities. That is how we build safer neighborhoods and stronger futures,” said Sharun Goodwin, Commissioner of the NYC Department of Probation. “Every person deserves the opportunity to write a new chapter. At the Department of Probation, we see the potential in the people we serve every day, and we know that access to meaningful employment can change the trajectory of a life.”  

   

Through workforce development organization Emerge Career, participants complete a 40-hour online CDL training course, earn their Commercial Learner’s Permits (CLPs), receive behind-the-wheel instruction and take the New York State CDL road test. Graduates also receive job placement support connecting them with employers offering salaries ranging from $70,000 to $125,000.

 

Since launching in 2025, Next Mile NYC has delivered measurable, life-changing results:  

•    306 participants have earned CLPs and 187 have obtained CDLs.  

•   111 participants have secured full-time employment, earning an average salary of $73,573 and a median salary of $75,000. Another 74 graduates have pending job offers.  

•    Zero participants have reported being rearrested.   

•   94% of participants who completed behind-the-wheel training earned a CDL.  

•   97% of participants who earned a CDL received a job offer within six months.  

   

The expansion reflects Mayor Mamdani’s commitment to creating economic opportunity for justice-involved New Yorkers while meeting the City's workforce needs. Reaching people while they are on probation gives them access to stable employment at a critical moment, helping them successfully complete community supervision, support their families and avoid future involvement with the criminal legal system.    

  

In March 2026, the Mayor announced the expansion of Next Mile NYC in partnership with the Department of Correction, allowing eligible people on Rikers Island to begin online coursework while in custody before transitioning to behind-the-wheel instruction, licensing and job placement after release. Since that expansion, 66 people have enrolled in the program and 22 have successfully completed the online training.  

   

“We are thrilled to expand our existing partnership with MOCJ and DOC to bring real, tangible second chances — rooted in careers, not just credentials — to New Yorkers on probation,” said Zo Orchingwa, Co-founder and Co-CEO of Emerge Career. “Our vision is to harness technology to open pathways to skilled trades careers that begin before release, not just after. This isn't a checkbox initiative or training that leads nowhere. Next Mile NYC is a real jobs and reentry program, built to change lives and deliver outcomes.”  

  

Formerly incarcerated people face persistently high unemployment, while industries such as trucking continue to significant workforce shortages. At the same time, research shows that access to stable employment is one of the strongest predictors of successful reentry and reduced recidivism.  

  

By connecting New Yorkers to careers that provide immediate, family-sustaining wages, Next Mile NYC is helping break the cycle of incarceration, strengthening the city’s workforce and making neighborhoods safer.