Truck Parts and Service | Heavy Duty Trucking, Aftermarket, Service Info
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/438149
16 industry's image problem is through educational outreach programs. High school career days, collegiate job fairs and corporate literature allow businesses to showcase the in- dustry's various opportunities to young people. Misconcep- tions about career advance- ment and salaries are quickly put to rest, giving interested young adults a clearer picture about the industry. Trucking is more than just shifting gears and turning wrenches. It's an industry that can offer entry-level salaries typically higher and more fl exible than some of America's most sought after professional fi elds. "If you can get in front of students coming out of school and show them 'you can make a nice living doing this. You'll have a good livelihood,' that's a great start," says Willis. "There is defi nitely an im- age issue for the heavy-duty parts and service provider," adds Dave Scheer, CEO at Inland Truck Parts. "You can have a really good career and make a great salary working in the [industry]. There are a lot of good places to work; and students need to know that." Job fairs also give compa- nies a chance to show how a student's interests and talents relate to its open positions. They let students see where they fi t, says Marlin Smith, director of human resources, truck commercial vehicle systems at Hendrickson. "There have been some career fairs we've attended where we'd have a truck and trailer on a poster and students would just walk by thinking we were recruiting truck drivers," he says. "We had to tell them 'Oh no, we're looking for research and development, engineers, accountants … We're looking for career professionals.'" "People's image of this industry is that it's not a high- tech one but that's not true," says Cruickshank. "It's a high- tech industry and requires a lot of really smart people in those high-tech areas." Willis says this can be just as valuable for high school and technical/vocational students because it gives them insight on a career path, and T R U C K P A R T S & S E R V I C E | J a n u a r y 2 0 1 5 One area where industry recruiting has prospered is with veterans. Veterans are one of the largest potential employee pools available today. And unlike the industry recognition issue faced with college graduates, most veterans have experience working with or around commercial vehicles. "On a national level it makes a lot of sense for us to develop a rapport" with the military, says Dave Willis, president of CRW Parts and the Commercial Vehicle Solutions Network (CVSN). "There are veterans everywhere looking for work." Willis says CRW Parts recently committed to improving its com- munication with military placement programs in its area (Maryland and Virginia), and hopes to do the same on a larger scale with CVSN and each branch of the armed forces. "It would be easier for CVSN to reach out to the military and tap into that national source [of employees] than trying to make every member of the organization proactive with the veterans' programs in their com- munity," he says. A strong relationship can be benefi cial for both sides, adds Lynsey Johnston, human resources representative, truck commercial vehicle systems at Hendrickson. Johnston uses Hendrickson's involvement at the U.S. Army base in Fort Campbell, Tenn., as an example. She says the company created a re- lationship with the facility to recruit new employees. Then, as the rela- tionship grew, Hendrickson began giving back and assisting in career placement programs to help veterans prepare for the private sector. "We were there as a resource," she says. "We would send them job openings, but we'd also help [veterans] prepare for interviews, write résumés. It was more than just recruiting for us." Armed forces opportunity Peterbilt says trade shows and career fairs have a lot in common, as both allow businesses to showcase opportunities to those interested. Cover Story