Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/74547
FIT FOR DUTY HIRE A VET? YOU BET! Federal and state governments, along with major trucking companies, have developed initiatives committed to filling trucking's empty seats with military veterans. Under the Commonwealth of Virginia's After retiring from the Army in February with 23 years of service, David Payne used his military driving experience to land a job at Crete Carrier, a company he says is "like a big family." cessful careers," Perez says. Many carriers work with veterans organizations to contact driver candi- dates about employment even before they leave active service. And while experience driving a truck in the mili- tary is helpful, some veterans may need additional training, depending on the type of vehicles they operated while in the service. But increasingly, military bases are able to do third party testing to estimate drivers' skill sets before they apply for civilian jobs, Crete's Dady says. Some bases in Virginia, for example, offer training to help personnel pursue civil- ian driving careers. Crete driver David Payne wanted to continue to use his 19 years of experi- ence driving truck in the Army when he retired after 23 years of service. "This transportation field is wide and needed," says the Clarksville, Tenn., resident. "I decided to become a driver here because I love to travel." After leaving the military in February, Payne met a member of his church who worked for Crete. "He gave me one of his cards and asked if it was all right for one of his recruiters to contact me. They called the next day," Payne recalls. "Everything was quick and easy. I learned everything I needed to know." Even veterans with no prior driving experience seek out civilian truck driv- 28 | Overdrive | August 2012 Troops to Trucks program, for example, the Department of Motor Vehicles recently certified two military installations as third- party testers to train personnel to operate commercial motor vehicles. Also, to make it easier for military CDL holders to transition to civilian driving jobs, the Virginia DMV will take advantage of a new federal regula- tion that waives the road skills test usually required to get a civilian CDL; applicants will still need to take the written exam. (More than 10 states waive the road skills test for military CDL holders.) Once veterans are trained and get their CDL, they are referred to at least three potential employers through a partnership with the Virginia Trucking Association. In the past, it was not always possible for veterans to use their military educational benefits to help defray the cost of truck driver training. But the 2011 VOW to Hire Heroes Act changed that, providing up to one year of benefits for veterans to pursue high-demand jobs, such as trucking. The legislation also gives companies that hire unemployed veterans a maximum tax credit of $5,600 per veteran or up to $9,600 for hiring veterans with service-connected dis- abilities. Schneider National and Werner Enterprises offer government-approved apprenticeship programs that allow veterans to use their military educational benefits for up to one year in addition to receiving a company paycheck. Similarly, Swift recently announced a program to provide 1,000 full scholarships to veterans to attend one of the four Swift Academies, with a one-year employment commitment. And many carriers also work with truck driving schools to reim- burse a driver they hire for the cost of their schooling, says Michael O'Connell, executive director of the Commercial Vehicle Training Association. Military organizations are taking notice of carriers' efforts. J.B. Hunt, Penske, Schneider National and Werner Enterprises were named to G.I. Jobs magazine's list of the Top 100 military-friendly employers. In May, CivilianJobs.com, a site that connects military with civilian careers, honored Crete Carrier and Schneider National among its 2012 Most Valuable Employers for Military. And recently, the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve presented the inaugural Extraordinary Employer Support Award to Schneider National. Percentage of military veterans in transportation and warehousing jobs Age 3% 18 to 34 65 and older 35 to 44 55 to 64 45 to 54 12% 31% 32% Bureau of Labor Statistics 35% 9% 16% 13% 19% Combat Era 30% WWII and Korea Other service period Vietnam Gulf War I Gulf War II