In an attempt to cut the red tape for veterans interested in getting their commercial driver's licenses, two U.S. senators sponsored a bill aimed at quickly guaranteeing approval of veterans benefits at some schools.
Sen. Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), one of the bill’s sponsors said, “These technical changes will reverse unnecessary regulations and allow more veterans to take advantage of their [G.I. Bill] benefits.” American Trucking Associations (ATA) is endorsing the bill, which ATA President and CEO Chris Spear called a “win-win.”
That seems like a good idea to me for a variety of reasons. In the first place, veterans have served our country, and it should not be difficult for them to take advantage of the benefits to which they are entitled. It's also good for the trucking industry, and I should know. Transervice has a history of hiring veterans as drivers and in other capacities within the organization. In fact, at one of our locations, we employ 25 veterans. Many others hold positions, including general manager and assistant vice president, at other locations.
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It's been our experience that these veterans come into the workplace with some skills they learned during their time in the service, and they bring with them a certain amount of discipline, tenacity, and leadership skills. They also are team players because they have learned the importance of relying on each other to achieve objectives.
To help businesses in their efforts to employ veterans, the Veterans Administration has developed a Veterans Employment Toolkit. The toolkit includes a number of resources that explain why vets are valuable resources and offers insights into ways businesses can support employees who are veterans.
It does not take a lot of extra work to extend your hiring efforts to focus on veterans. One easy way is to participate in job fairs for vets that are leaving the military after fulfilling their commitment. Another way is to meet with local veterans groups to let them know about employment opportunities at your company.
See also: How to engage ‘next-gen’ workers in a legacy industry
If you’re not doing outreach to veterans, you might want to begin working on a strategy of how to make your business attractive to them and how you can integrate them into your operation. Each business has a set of qualifications they are looking for in new hires. I am betting that vets hit on a lot of those qualifications. But you don’t have to take my word for it. There are many resources, articles, and research on the benefits of hiring veterans. In fact, Indeed posted an article on its website that enumerated 21 benefits of hiring veterans. Transervice has reaped each and every one of those benefits from our employees who served in the military.
Gino Fontana, CTP, is COO and EVP at Transervice Logistics Inc. Prior to this, he was VP of operations at Berkeley Division and Puerto Rico. He has more than 35 years of experience in the transportation and logistics industry with both operational and sales experience.
