Fleet Management News & Business Info | Commercial Carrier Journal
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/959367
64 commercial carrier journal | april 2018 COVER STORY 2018 INNOVATOR of the YEAR suffered in this country over the last five to 10 years." In June 2015, Werner received ap- proval for its diesel mechanic appren- ticeship program that allows military veterans to receive more than $27,000 in post-9/11 GI Bill education benefits over a three-year period in addition to their normal pay. Ultimately, Leathers believes Werner can raise the number of military veterans and veteran spouses to one out of every four associates. After making a pledge in 2012 to hire 1,000 veterans per year over five years and exceeding its goal, the company has upped its goal to hire 2,000 veterans and 250 veteran spouses in 2018. "I get asked occasionally if I ever see a world where we would be a fully veteran organization," says Leathers. "One of our goals is to reintroduce them into society. The idea of being 100 percent veteran would prevent that reintroduction. We want to be sufficiently veteran-focused and sufficiently veteran-represented so that there is a comfortable transition but yet still be fully representative of a cross- section of people from a whole variety of backgrounds." MISSION ACCOMPLISHED Most veterans arrive with positive charac- ter and work traits learned while serving in the military, and Werner realized early on how well those attributes translate from a career in the military to a career as a professional truck driver. "Leadership, flexibility, working well under minimal supervision, communi- cation and being able to work well with others are specific skill sets that accom- pany successful drivers," says Morbach, a veteran of the U.S. Air Force. "Veterans begin learning those skills in basic train- ing and fine-tune them throughout their military career." "This demographic in total has a better retention history, it has a better accident frequency, and it has a better service pro- file … ," adds Leathers. "I want to be clear that it isn't some charitable activity on our part. We're proud of what they did to serve our country, but most importantly, we think they make great associates, both in the office and in the shop and over the road. They come in with a commitment level to mission that is second to none." In addition to its military benefits package, Werner launched Operation Freedom in 2013, a program that recognizes veterans and shows apprecia- tion for those who served their country. The program includes a small fleet of military-themed tractors with special graphics wraps. "Our fleet of Freedom Trucks are driven by military veterans who represent Werner and honor all veterans and spous- es of veterans for taking an oath to defend our great country," says Morbach. Operation Freedom is led by a team of military veterans at Werner who serve as subject matter experts on GI Bill benefit packages and act as liaisons for the company's veterans to assist them as they transition back into the civilian workforce. TAPPING INTO THE SOURCE As a nationwide truckload carrier with more than 9,000 drivers and an entry- level hire rate of 57 percent, Werner Enterprises always relied heavily on out- side commercial driver's license schools to attract and train its supply of entry- level drivers. But the growing driver shortage led the company to secure its own supply of drivers, and in 2013 and 2014 it acquired the American Institute of Trucking and Roadmaster Drivers School to assist in the training and development of drivers for the company. The acquisitions provided Werner with 13 school locations across the country. Rather than use a carrier-student con- tract training model, Werner opted for a driver choice model and allows other car- riers to visit and lets students choose their preferred carrier upon graduation. "Not [every student] is going to be a fit for us," says Jim Schelble, Werner Enterprises executive vice president and chief administrative officer. "We want to make sure we are bringing people into the industry and ensure cost-effective high- quality training, and we get them on with the appropriate carrier so they are not going to hop from job to job." Werner's graduate hire rate from Road- master and AIT students has remained constant before and after the acquisitions at just under 40 percent. Once drivers are onboarded, Werner goes to great lengths to ensure they receive consistent messaging. One way it achieves this is the Werner Road Team, a group of individuals repre- senting all types of drivers across the company's business that serve rotating two-year terms. Now in its 18th year, the Werner Road Team serves as a sounding board Werner acquired the American Institute of Trucking and Roadmaster Drivers School to assist in the training and development of drivers for the company and the industry.