• Veterans get chance at 'golden ticket,' new Kenworth

    Transition Trucking contest to educate service personnel about industry
    April 3, 2016
    2 min read
    A Kenworth T680 on display here at the FASTPORT booth at MATS will be awarded to a deserving recent military veteran and new trucker through the Transition Trucking Driving for Excellence Award Photo Kevin Jones Fleet Owner

    LOUISVILLE, KY. In an effort to curb the driver shortage and create immediate jobs for transitioning military personnel, the U.S Chamber of Commerce Foundation's Hiring Our Heroes Program (HOH), Kenworth, and FASTPORT have come together to award a fully-loaded T680 to a deserving veteran who enters the trucking industry.

    The search for America’s top military rookie driver is designed to educate veterans about the job done by the nation’s 3.5 million professional truck drivers—and provide a head start to one deserving veteran's entrepreneurial career, program officials explained at the Mid-America Trucking Show here.

    “Try to find another industry that’s giving away a golden ticket for that young veteran and family,” said Eric Eversole, president of the HOH program. “I come from a long line of truckers, and we’ve worked very hard to sell the great story of economic opportunity of this industry. We’re changing the away that Americans, service members and their families look at trucking.”

    Already, 16,000 veterans have transitioned into the industry, he noted, and added that the retention rate is much higher than that of other new drivers.

    To be eligible to win the Transition Trucking: Driving for Excellence Award, candidates must meet all of the following criteria:

    • First, nominees must be a military veteran or have served or currently serve in the National Guard or Reserve.
    • Second, they must have graduated from either a PTDI-certified, or NAPFTDS or CVTA member driver training school and have a valid CDL.
    • Third, they must have been employed by a trucking company who has made a hiring commitment and pledge to hire veterans on truckingtrack.org.

    Nominations will be accepted from May 2 through June 30. Finalists will be notified July 22 and recognized at the Great American Trucking Show (GATS) in August.

    On Sept. 25, finalists' video profiles will be posted to Hiring America’s website where the general public will vote for their favorite finalist. The votes will be tallied a Veterans’ Day with a Pentagon award ceremony planned for Dec. 16.

    Voice your opinion!

    To join the conversation, and become an exclusive member of FleetOwner, create an account today!

    Sign up for our free eNewsletters

    Latest from Drivers

    4126654 | Phartisan | Dreamstime.com
    driver retention
    Turnover and its causes are expenses we like to ignore or accept as the cost of running a trucking company. In a market like today’s, investing in retention doesn’t mean spending...
    FleetOwner/Endeavor Business Media
    trucks_cr_fo
    Stricter enforcement of cabotage laws, carrier leaders said, will help bring supply-demand balance to the market, creating 'a little bit of optimism.'
    Skypixel | Dreamstime.com
    The trucking industry has various career paths, but working with entry-level workers to help them see where they could go in transportation can help fleets grow their own successful drivers and executives.
    National Transportation Institute’s Leah Shaver shares some tips and advice on how successful fleets can set up entry-level drivers and office workers to grow and stick around...