Fleet Management News & Business Info | Commercial Carrier Journal
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/959367
62 commercial carrier journal | april 2018 COVER STORY 2018 INNOVATOR of the YEAR we'll have one in five of our associates be former military, and we are essentially there today." To reach that goal, Werner began the arduous process of working with the U.S. Department of Labor and VA to dovetail its driver apprenticeship program with government efforts to help place veterans in the U.S. workforce. In April 2006, Werner announced a DOL- and VA-backed Professional Truck Driver Apprenticeship Program with unique benefits for military vet- erans and veteran spouses. In addition to their normal pay, veterans could receive their post-9/11 GI Bill educa- tion benefits during their first year with the company. "Initially, no other transportation company had an apprenticeship pro- gram that was approved by the DOL and VA," says Jim Morbach, Werner Enterprises associate vice president of student and government recruiting. "That process was very lengthy, because you had to generate the entire training program, how to get paperwork to the DOL and back to Werner and then to the VA and make sure [drivers] would get paid in a timely manner." In 2015, Werner received approval to extend the apprenticeship program from 12 to 24 months, allowing vet- erans to receive more than $23,000 in tax-free benefits while learning to drive a truck. Werner now has the largest driver apprenticeship program in the industry and currently has 4,600 nonmilitary and military drivers, including more than 500 military veterans who are receiving post- 9/11 GI Bill benefits. Five years ago, Werner went back to work with the VA to establish a similar apprenticeship program to address the technician shortage. "Hiring mechanics today is about as difficult as it is hiring drivers," says Leathers. "The technician shortage is less- reported and less-discussed by the general population, but trades in general have BEYOND THE CALL OF DUTY Five years into his active-duty service with the U.S. Army, Quinton W. was injured in the line of duty. In 2010, he medically retired from the military and began his transition back to civilian life. His military career now over, Quinton entered the U.S. Department of Vet- erans Affairs' Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment (VR&E) Program that assists active-duty service members and veterans with career path counseling, job placement services, skills coaching and advice on maximizing their eligible VA benefits. Quinton moved around frequently during his military training and was look- ing for a career that would allow him to continue to see new places. "Initially I became a driver because it gave me the opportunity to travel … ," he says. "I'm very transient in that aspect where I don't like to stay in one place. It gave me the opportu- nity to grow and build. [The VR&E program] provided the education and tools to find my way into the industry." VR&E helped Quinton enroll in a truck driving school in Colorado, and his career as a truck driver had begun. "Before I finished school, we were already doing the investigative stuff to find out what kind of companies were out there and what they were offering," says Quinton. "By the end of my four-week training, I already had a job offer from Werner." Quinton started his career as a professional driver for Werner Enterprises in early 2017, taking advantage of the company's industry- first professional truck driver apprenticeship program that allows him to receive his post- 9/11 GI Bill education benefits during Werner's on-the-job training over two years. "I chose Werner for a couple different rea- sons, but it really came down to be the way they backed their veterans and the way they treat their employees," says Quinton. Almost a year after joining Werner, the company named Quinton to its Elite Veteran Driver Program, selecting him based on his on-time and safe driving record, professionalism and work ethic. Werner Enterprises Presi- dent and CEO Derek Leathers handed Quinton the keys to Freedom VI, one of six military-themed trucks that make up Werner's Operation Freedom Fleet used to show the company's gratitude for U.S. military service mem- bers and veterans. Today, Quinton travels all over the country hauling freight for Werner's customers along with his dog, Kirra, who he received through the Wounded Warrior Project. "We've been working together to ensure I never have any issues," says Quin- ton about Kirra. "She helps me out in innumerous amounts of ways." Quinton W. travels all over the country hauling freight for Werner's customers along with his dog, Kirra, who he re- ceived through the Wounded Warrior Project after retiring from the U.S. Army.