In Perspective
6 Commercial Carrier Journal November 2008 Jeff Mason is VP/Group Publisher, Randall-Reilly Publishing. e-mail jmason@rrpub.com. Troop transition Troops 2 Truckers helps military personnel become drivers By Jeff Mason November 2008 Vol. 165 No. 11 Editorial/Production Staff Avery Vise Jack Roberts Aaron Huff Dean Smallwood John Baxter Carolyn Mason, Henry Seaton Matt Watson Brad Kelley Timothy Smith Mary Springer Diane Klischer Business Staff Jeff Mason Stacy McCants Tim Burke, Jon Espey, Geoffrey Love, Matt McGuire, Jason Rhoads, Tommy Smith, Billy Vines, Butch Worley Bonnie Gable, Ginger Love Terry Browning Amber Hinton Julie Puckett, Ron Moyer Rob Hoffman Mike Reilly David Wright Shane Elmore Brent Reilly Linda Longton Tony Brock In Memoriam: H. Pettus Randall II (1911-1976) - Founder H. Pettus Randall III (1945-2002) - Chairman 3200 Rice Mine Road N.E., Tuscaloosa, AL 35406 (800) 633-5953 / Editorial Fax (205) 750-8070 Sales Fax (205) 248-1021 Online: www.ccjmagazine.com In perspective N o matter which way the wind blows, there's one trucking fact of life that never changes fleets always will need a pool of good drivers to haul freight. One innovative solution combines this industry need with a population in need of employment. Troop Transition is a career transition program designed to place those serving in the U.S. Armed Forces with post-service civilian employment. They recently launched Troops 2 Truckers, a training program that allows military men and women to enter the trucking industry as professional drivers the day they leave the base. Kevin Denny, chief executive officer of Troop Transition, is excited about the opportunity to provide a career path for troops and also meet the trucking industry's need for drivers. These are people who have a track record of discipline and are drug-free, clean-cut, loyal and mission-oriented everything a trucking company would want in a driver, Denny says. Bill Graves, American Trucking Associations president and CEO, says the need for drivers will be overwhelming once the economy improves, and he's enthusiastic about Troops 2 Truckers' ben-efits to military men and women. This worthy endeavor differs from other driver training programs because it's designed by trucking industry employers. Denny says the employer partners cus-tom-design the curriculum and skills training needed to ensure these new hires exceed their employment standards. Employers are willing to accept honorable military experience in lieu of civilian employment experience, and they are offering jobs as local and long-haul drivers to candidates who have earned a CDL through the Troops 2 Truckers program. Since employers can't directly recruit in the mili-tary, this program steps in and offers training while they are still on active duty. The training utilizes military tuition assistance to cover the expenses and leaves the candidates' G.I. Bill benefits available for future use. Not only do fleets get a great recruit, they also employ service members who chose the military in place of college. Of the more than 200,000 service personnel honorably discharged each year, 85 percent are enlisted personnel who served four years. Many of these young people have not had any education or training that's applicable outside of the military, Denny says. It's estimated that more than 40 percent will live below the poverty line and 25 percent will stay there for life. Our objective is to eliminate some of the hurdles these veterans face and provide tran-sitioning training that will give them a real job career with zero out-of-pocket expenses. What a great idea and a real win-win option for everyone. For more information, visit www.trooptransition.com. n Commercial Carrier Journal (ISSN 1533-7502) is published monthly by Randall-Reilly Publishing Co. LLC, 3200 Rice Mine Road N.E., Tuscaloosa, AL 35406. Single copy price U.S., $6; Canada/ Mexico, $9; Foreign, $12. Subscription rates, payable in U.S. dollars, $48 per year (in Canada $78 U.S. currency). For subscriptions, call (800) 517-4979 in the U.S., or (847) 763-9610 outside the U.S. Periodicals Postage-Paid at Tuscaloosa, AL, and at additional mailing offices. Send address corrections to Commercial Carrier Journal, P.O. Box 2186, Skokie, IL 60076-9919. Unsolicited letters, manuscripts, stories, materials or photographs cannot be returned except where the sender provides a postage-paid, addressed, stamped envelope. Address all mail to Commercial Carrier Journal Editorial Dept., P.O. Box 3187, Tuscaloosa, AL 35403. All advertisers for Commercial Carrier Journal are accepted and pub-lished by Randall-Reilly Publishing Co. LLC on the representation that the advertiser and/or advertising agency are authorized to publish the entire contents and subject matter thereof. The advertiser and/or advertising agency will defend, indemnify and hold Randall-Reilly Publishing Co. LLC harmless from and against any loss, expenses or other liability resulting from any claims or suits for libel violations of right of privacy or publicity, plagiarisms, copyright or trademark, infringement and any other claims or suits that may arise out of publication of such advertisement. Copyright 2008, Randall-Reilly Publishing Co. LLC All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is prohibited. Commercial Carrier Journal. is a registered trademark of Randall-Reilly Publishing Co. LLC. Randall-Reilly Publishing Co. LLC neither endorses nor makes any representation or guarantee regarding the quality of goods and services advertised herein. Both the candidates and the industry win.