Fleet Management News & Business Info | Commercial Carrier Journal
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/858523
commercial carrier journal | august 2017 51 INNOVATORS WERNER ENTERPRISES Omaha, Neb. ment, followed by 80 percent in the second six months. In its rst year, Werner's new program began with more than 1,000 apprentices, including 117 who used GI Bill bene ts. In 2013, the VA began allowing mili- tary veterans who are Werner student drivers to attend truck driving school while still earning a stipend, using their eligible GI Bill bene ts for up to $250 per month for tuition reimbursement. Widening the net In 2015, the VA approved Werner's re- quest to extend its driver apprenticeship program from 12 months to 24 months. With the new program, Werner's military veteran employees can receive more than $24,000 in tax-free bene ts over two years depending on their eligibility, in ad- dition to their Werner pay. Overall, Werner has enrolled more than 38,000 nonmilitary and military veterans in its driver apprenticeship program. By July 2016, 10 years a er its driver apprenticeship program began, Werner had enrolled its 5,000th veteran using GI Bill bene ts in the apprentice- ship program. As the VA-backed apprenticeship pro- gram began to take o , Werner wanted to do more to expand its visibility to military veterans. In 2012, the company made a pledge to hire 1,000 veterans per year for the next ve years as part of the White House's Joining Forces campaign. Werner also created "Operation Werner creates new opportunities for military veterans BY JEFF CRISSEY I t's no secret that military veterans are viewed as prime job candidates by the pri- vate sector. e leadership skills, respect for procedures and exibility they learn during their military careers make them a coveted part of the U.S. workforce, particularly in trucking. Competition among eet recruiters for these individuals increases daily as more carriers look to mitigate the driver shortage with this once- untapped market. roughout its 61-year history, Werner Enterprises (CCJ Top 250, No. 11) has been a pioneer in the trucking industry, adding eet telematics as early as 1992 and electronic logging devices in 1998. In the mid-2000s, it was one of the rst large carriers to actively target and recruit U.S. servicemen and women. Werner sought a way to help provide nancial stability for military veterans as they transitioned into new careers behind the wheel. In 2006, the Omaha, Neb.-based com- pany established an industry- rst professional truck driver apprenticeship program approved by the U.S. Departments of Labor and Veterans A airs. Non-veterans who complete the program receive a certi cate from the DOL as a Werner professional truck driver. At that time under Werner's one-year program, military veterans with post- 9/11 GI Bills could apply for their education bene ts during Werner's on-the-job training. Once the individual graduated from truck driving school and became a Werner employee, they enrolled in the apprenticeship program and began receiving monthly payments directly from the VA based on eligibility tiers above and beyond their Werner pay. A er a 90-day process to determine eligibility, em- ployees received 100 percent of eligible funds in the rst six months of employ- The truckload giant starts an apprenticeship program for drivers and diesel techs and celebrates veterans at every turn.