Posts

Resources and Support for Veterans in the Trucking Industry

, /by

Did you know that, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, one out of every four veterans are truck drivers? Or that 10 percent of all truck drivers are veterans?  If you have served our country and are looking to transition into a career in the truck driving industry, or if you are already a veteran of both fields, there are many programs and opportunities available to assist you along the way.  

 

Each November, Veteran’s Day reminds us of the great dedication, commitment, and sacrifices made by the men and women who have served our country. Their bravery is why countless carriers, support groups, and government organizations work year round to provide resources for veterans entering the truck driving industry and support to those already hard at work. Keep reading to find out how these helpful resources could assist you and your loved ones. 

 

Looking to Enter the Truck Driving Industry?  

One of the most difficult parts about leaving a career in the military can be the transition into civilian life. Finding the right job that fits your qualifications, interests, and needs can feel impossible. Many veterans choose a career in the truck driving industry because of the job availability, flexible hours, and financial stability.  

 

For veterans looking to enter into a career in transportation, there are many resources and organizations that can help you waive fees, exempt you from certain requirements, and provide resources for networking and finding the perfect job.  

 

The Trucking Action Plan to Strengthen America’s Workforce was launched in 2021 by President Biden with the goal of making it easier for veterans to enter and adjust to the trucking industry. This program offers a wealth of opportunities in addition to the benefits already offered by the longstanding GI Bill.  

 

If you’re looking for educational instruction or to connect with employers and field experts, the Department of Labor’s Transition Assistance Program (TAP) is a great place to start. TAP provides education on workplace fundamentals, as well as other benefits for veterans such as: mentorships, job fairs, resume help, internships, and more! 

 

Qualifying veterans who have experience operating large military vehicles are also able to waive the commercial driver’s license skills test. The FMCSA offers a waiver that allows veterans to forgo driving tests, as long as they are currently licensed to operate military motor vehicles and have done so in the last 12 months. Currently, this waiver is available in all states.  

 

If this doesn’t apply to you, the  Commercial Motor Vehicle (CMV) Operator Training Grant can also be used to pay for a trucking education program. This grant applies to all US Armed Forces members and their spouses. 

 

Already a Truck Driver? 

If you’re one of the thousands of veterans across the country who are already working hard in the truck driving industry, there are still many resources and organizations available to offer round the clock support.  

 

Veterans In Trucking is a company that makes its mission to connect veterans with resources, career opportunities, and industry connections. It assists carriers in creating veteran-readiness programs and offers a platform to apply for job postings for carriers that value and support veteran drivers.  

 

The company also provides support to veterans through life changing experiences, such as their current Mission Veteran Expedition to Vietnam, giving veterans of the Vietnam War a chance to return to the country and see it in a new light.  

 

For those looking to honor fellow or fallen veterans, organizations such as Wreaths Across America offer chances to show your support. Wreaths Across America recognizes and honors fallen soldiers and veterans by placing wreaths on gravestones across the country every holiday season.  

On Saturday, December 16, 2023, more than 2 million volunteers and supporters will honor fallen veterans at national cemeteries and more than 4,000 locations nationwide. If you’d like to participate, it’s not too late. There are a number of ways you can be a part of this mission: 

 

  1. Truckers can volunteer to haul loads – just scroll down the page and click “Volunteer for Trucking” to fill out the form. 
  2. Volunteer to place wreaths – just click on the “Volunteer” button to find a participating cemetary near you and fill out the form. 
  3. Sponsor a wreath – just click on the “Sponsor Wreaths” button and make your selection. You can also sponsor a specific cemetary or local sponsorship group. 
  4. Donate to the cause – donate monetarily towards the transportation fund. This fund helps provide fuel assistance to make sure all the wreaths get to the final resting place of our heros. 

 

You should never feel alone as a veteran in the truck driving industry. Many carriers offer support that can make a difference in the lives of you and your loved ones. Organizations and companies across the country also make it their mission to offer resources and opportunities that are always available.  

 

If you’ve worked with a great organization for veteran truck drivers or have any stories to share, please reach out to us on our social media!   

 

Called to Serve

/by

Drive My Way veteranOn this Veterans Day, Americans are remembering the men and women who paid the ultimate sacrifice, or who went off to war and returned forever changed, like Drive My Way veteran Kevin Garner.

But not all who serve go to war. Those who serve U.S. interests stateside still feel a tremendous call to duty, however, even without battle scars haunting their days.

Drive My Way’s driver recruiting consultant, Kevin Garner, is among the Army soldiers who never went to war. But the U.S. Army veteran still stands strongly for the U.S. Army motto, “This We’ll Defend,” 12 years after his service ended.

“There’s a lot more to the military than going overseas and fighting,” Garner says. “There are life experiences, traveling, meeting incredible people and developing your skills. The military has the opportunity to teach you just about whatever you want to learn.”

In the eight years Garner served in the Army, he learned a lot. He enlisted as a finance specialist. For more than two years, his key responsibilities centered on finance and human resources. He then spent the last five-and-a-half years of his Army service in recruiting.

“I built rapport with people in the community, focusing a lot on relationship building, whether it was at kevin-photocolleges, the town hall or high schools,” he says. “High schools were big because the majority of people enlisting are doing so right out of high school.”

Take Garner himself, who enlisted in the Army at age 18. He sought to pay for his college education and see a bit of the world.

And see the world he did, spending two years in South Korea before returning to the United States.

Garner still cherishes his Army experience, despite its challenges.

“The thing about the military is that you have some things you’re incredibly proud of and other things that were really tough,” Garner says. “Whether it’s being lonely or being away from your family for long stretches, it’s a life-changing experience for everyone that joins, no matter how independent you are.”

Yet the Army bestowed on Garner much more than it took from him. “The Army’s given me many skills,” he says. “It’s given me great friendships that have lasted to this day. And it’s given me leadership skills that set me up for a lifetime of success.”

More than 60 percent of CDL truck drivers are called to serve in the military, just as they’re called to the road. Thank you for your service, veterans.

find-cdl-truck-driver-jobs

Want to find a job you love?

Drive My Way matches drivers with jobs based on their qualifications and lifestyle preferences.

Find Better Today

Military-Friendly Companies That Hire Veterans for Trucking Jobs

/by

military-friendly trucking companies that hire veterans for trucking jobs

After serving our country, many veterans make the transition into the trucking industry, seeking companies who hire individuals with military experience for their truck driver jobs. Many trucking companies enjoy hiring veterans for their driver positions as they embody the motivation and dedication the company is seeking. In the process, these companies are putting veterans on a strong path for the future in civilian jobs while adding disciplined employees to their talent pool.

PTS Worldwide

pts worldwidePTS Worldwide Inc. is a family owned and operated over the road trucking company dedicated to the Department of Defense and the security of our nation. They are fundamentally a people-oriented organization and know that the intelligence, insight, and energy that each individual brings to the job makes them better and stronger as an organization. It is their objective to maintain a working environment where all employees can achieve their fullest potential.

PTS Worldwide, Inc. is a company founded by drivers for drivers and knows they need your skills, enthusiasm, and commitment to achieve our goals together. They run all 48 states from military base to base, and they hire CDL A OTR Team Drivers and OTR Owner Operator Teams nationwide. As a company founded by drivers for drivers, they offer competitive pay with minimum guaranteed miles, generous bonuses, and excellent health and welfare benefits.

Oldcastle

oldcastleAs North America’s largest manufacturer of building products and materials, CDL trucking jobs are just one part of what makes the wheels at Oldcastle turn. But, they are an essential part of the equation. No matter what role a worker plays at Oldcastle, however, one thing is certain. Veterans work at this Atlanta-based company with 2,000 locations nationwide.

“Attracting truck drivers is a huge challenge, so we wanted to promote those opportunities,” says Cindycindyr Reeves, Human Resources Director for Oldcastle, Inc. To attract more military talent to Oldcastle jobs, the company overhauled its website to include a military tab on its careers page. Therefore, when applicants click on the military tab, open job opportunities can be seen, including CDL trucking jobs, engineering and sales opportunities, warehousing jobs and more. Also, the website features a link to help retiring military personnel translate their skills to civilian jobs.

“Our website tells them what job would be a good fit for them,” Reeves says. “It’s a page through military.com with a lot of credibility.”

In addition, Oldcastle launched its military-focused webpages in January 2016, and the company launches other military initiatives this week on Veterans Day. “Attracting veterans serves as an important part of our strategy,” Reeves says. “We wanted to make a place where potential military employees could come and feel welcome and know that Oldcastle has positions that are a strong fit for them.”

hollandHolland

In August 2015, this Holland, Mich.-based company hired Jason Schenkel, an Army veteran, as its talent acquisitions and fair employment manager. It did so specifically to increase its veteran recruiting and outreach.

Schenkel recruits for every position in the company, including CDL trucking jobs. “If I can find a military veteran that fits, I will recruit them for any position in the company,” Schenkel says, estimating that 70% of his recruits are truck drivers. After all, of Holland’s more than 8,000 employees, 6,000 of them are drivers.

Jason Schenkel (center) with his family

Jason Schenkel (center) with his family

Early on, Holland recognized similarities between the trucking industry and military culture in terms of safety, stress, customer service, and hours, Schenkel says. As a result, the military job candidates Holland encounters “have all the intangibles that make for a good truck driver. That’s the way Holland looks at it.”

Being an Army veteran helps Schenkel connect with his audience. “As a veteran, I know the culture, the tempo, the language, the hardships,” he says. “I think it helps me in my work. Holland, from the beginning, has put a lot of time and effort into the veteran initiative. We don’t do it because some government agency says we should. We just feel it’s a good fit for the veterans and for the company.”

exchangeArmy & Air Force Exchange Service

The Army & Air Force Exchange Service (AAFES) proudly served America’s armed forces since 1895. Striving to deliver quality goods and services at competitive prices, trucking plays an instrumental part of AAFES’ mission. AAFES commits to hiring veterans, National Guard members and reservists. In fact, veterans compose 12% of the company’s workforce. Overall, the company hires them because of the high value they bring to the organization.

“The AAFES partnered with the National Guard and U.S. Army Reserve…to actively recruit members,” says Col. Karen G. Fleming, Deputy Director, Logistics, for AAFES and herself a 26-year U.S. Army veteran. “We collaborate more than ever with installation transition offices to recruit soldiers and airmen who transition back into the civilian workplace.”

To support its military personnel, The Exchange, as AAFES provides up to 15 days annually of paid leave to guard members or reservists performing military duties that take them away from the job.

AAFES is similar to the military in some respects, Fleming adds, especially in regard to devotion and service. “Their motto is “family serving family,” Fleming says. “In addition, they remain devoted to providing the goods and services to our Army and Air Force.’”

trucking job

Find a CDL Trucking Job

Drive My Way matches truck drivers and owner operators with jobs based on professional qualifications and personal lifestyle preferences.

Get Your Job Matches

Called to Serve

/by

kevin-army-photoAs Veterans Day nears, Americans are remembering the men and women who paid the ultimate sacrifice, or who went off to war and returned forever changed.

After all, the scars of war run deep.

But not all who serve go to war. Those who serve U.S. interests stateside still feel a tremendous call to duty, however, even without battle scars haunting their days.

Drive My Way’s driver recruiting consultant, Kevin Garner, is among the Army soldiers who never went to war. But the U.S. Army veteran still stands strongly for the U.S. Army motto, “This We’ll Defend,” 12 years after his service ended.

“There’s a lot more to the military than going overseas and fighting,” Garner says. “There are life experiences, traveling, meeting incredible people and developing your skills. The military has the opportunity to teach you just about whatever you want to learn.”

In the eight years Garner served in the Army, he learned a lot. He enlisted as a finance specialist. For more than two years, his key responsibilities centered on finance and human resources. He then spent the last five-and-a-half years of his Army service in recruiting.

“I built rapport with people in the community, focusing a lot on relationship building, whether it was at kevin-photocolleges, the town hall or high schools,” he says. “High schools were big because the majority of people enlisting are doing so right out of high school.”

Take Garner himself, who enlisted in the Army at age 18.

He sought to pay for his college education and see a bit of the world.

And see the world he did, spending two years in South Korea before returning to the United States.

Garner still cherishes his Army experience, despite its challenges.

“The thing about the military is that you have some things you’re incredibly proud of and other things that were really tough,” Garner says. “Whether it’s being lonely or being away from your family for long stretches, it’s a life-changing experience for everyone that joins, no matter how independent you are.”

Yet the Army bestowed on Garner much more than it took from him.

“The Army’s given me many skills,” he says. “It’s given me great friendships that have lasted to this day. And it’s given me leadership skills that set me up for a lifetime of success.”

More than 60 percent of CDL truck drivers are called to serve in the military, just as they’re called to the road. Thank you for your service, veterans. Follow us on Facebook today and become part of our family of truckers who are military vets.

find-cdl-truck-driver-jobs

Want to find a job you love?

Drive My Way matches drivers with jobs based on their qualifications and lifestyle preferences.

Find Better Today