How the Trucking Industry Enlists Military Vets for New Careers

With such attributes as leadership, dependability, loyalty, teamwork, attention to deadlines and detail, and a knack for working well under pressure, veterans and those soon to be separated from military careers can be a trusted and proven talent pool for careers across the trucking and logistics industry.

Their hiring presents a two-way street.

They not only could help alleviate the industry’s driver shortage, but the trucking industry could help hundreds of thousands of uniquely qualified workers find new careers in the maintenance facility, behind a desk, or traveling the country in sales or customer service posts – and behind the wheel. Industry leaders must work together to help retired veterans discover the career opportunities trucking and logistics can deliver.

Veterans are serving an increasingly vital role in the trucking industry.

Whether behind the wheel, at a desk, in the warehouse or distribution center, or under the hood, thousands of veterans from the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard, Reserves, and National Guard have found their next careers in logistics.

From drivers and technicians, to managers and supervisors, to finance, accounting, human resources, and operations workers, veterans are filling key posts and finding new opportunities for promotion and career advancement – in an all-new career.

It should come as little surprise that veterans’ skills and characteristics are ideally suited to the logistics industry. They are lauded for proven leadership, a strong work ethic, timeliness, and the loyalty and integrity common to military service.

While it can be said that most veterans aren’t aware of the opportunities that exist in the transportation and logistics industry, many others already have made it their career of choice. The numbers tell the tale. While fewer than one percent of Americans serve or served in the armed forces, some 35 percent of the 150,000 members of the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association are veterans.

It might be that the industry and veterans just need a bridge to facilitate an introduction, notes Bill McLellan, CEO with @FASTPORT LLC, in Lowell, Mass. The company’s JobMaps™ online application helps match drivers with thousands of commercial carrier jobs as part of the firm’s support of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Hiring Our Heroes initiative and the American Trucking Association’s push to get 100,000 veterans hired.

What companies have discovered is an alignment of skills and core values that create a natural fit. More importantly for both the vets and the dozen partners in the Hiring Our Heroes initiative, transitioning veterans quickly are learning that logistics is a career with ample opportunities for advancement. Since it began partnering with Hiring Our Heroes in 2011, Ryder has hired more than 3,000 veterans in a variety of roles. The company will hire another 1,000 in 2015.

Battling Misperceptions, Aligning Skills
After deployment or serving apart from their families for months or years on end, a new career is what many retired service members seek. This is among the benefits the trucking industry can deliver.

Moreover, the trucking and logistics industry offers a host of career choices. These can include:

• Front office. Accounting and finance, marketing and communications, human resources, logistics, management, information technology, sales, customer support, etc., all are key positions in a growth industry.
• Vehicle maintenance. Veterans with experience in vehicle maintenance facilities or garages find a ready transfer of knowledge, skills, and capabilities from the military organization to the civilian garage.
• Warehousing, distribution, and logistics. This category of trucking operations best characterizes where the industry’s needs and veterans’ capabilities align. Veterans’ organizational, punctual, and team-focused approach to the workplace can help keep busy facilities operating smoothly.
• From military vehicles to support trucks and other heavy and light equipment, driving skills from the military translate well to the private sector.

As the trucking industry seeks to fulfill its goal of hiring hundreds of thousands of veterans, hiring managers are looking across the veteran landscape. What they’re discovering are men and women of all skills and abilities ideally suited to careers in transportation and logistics.

Whether they saw military combat, were stationed abroad, or worked on a base or location stateside, veterans all share attributes essential to the logistics industry. They are an excellent talent source for any industry. By welcoming and easing the transition of veterans entering the workforce, once the transition is complete, the logistics industry gets employees with lower turnover and all the skills and traits any employer would want.

About the Author
Patrick Pendergast is the Group Director of Talent Acquisition for Ryder System, Inc. He is responsible for designing and executing staffing strategies that facilitate over 5,000 hires annually. He has more than 20 years of staffing and recruiting experience with a diverse background in Human Resources and Talent Acquisition.

Related: Veterans Day 2015 - Honoring Our Heroes