It can be tough for veterans to find employment even though America’s service men and women are some of the most highly trained and valuable workers around. However, since 2008, Diesel Driving Academy has been helping veterans establish careers as commercial truck drivers through a scholarship program.
Through the Commercial Driver Training Foundation, Diesel Driving Academy has provided over $90,000 in scholarships to honorably discharged veterans of all branches.
Veterans often return to America facing many challenges, but their training and experience makes them ideal candidates for a variety of jobs. However, many believe veterans can serve an important role in meeting the shortage of commercial truck drivers currently facing the nation. Military personnel have training that can relate to the operation of a commercial truck and after completing a training program, such as the commercial truck driver training program at Diesel Driving Academy, veterans can find a long-term and good paying job as a truck driver.
“(Veterans) are one of the most undervalued and under-appreciated commodities that can be hired,” Sean Lenhan, a veteran’s employment program manager with the Department of Commerce, said in a Driver Jobs article. “One of the things I believe that is different is that as a veteran, on active duty, you may have had a specialty — but everybody that has served knows that’s just your primary duty. You may be doing six or seven other things as well. As a veteran and as a service member you are tasked to do a variety of collateral duties — that’s a diversified set of skills you bring to the table as a veteran.”
Those diversified job skills, along with training from the Diesel Driving Academy, can make commercial truck driving a great option for returning veterans seeking a new career. Trucking companies are searching for drivers that have professional training, a strong job history and the type of experience that indicates a long-term fit. Veterans exceed these requirements.
The growth in commercial trucking is putting a burden on shipping companies to find more drivers. That has made the commercial truck driving field an attractive career choice for job seekers of all backgrounds and experiences. Students do not have to have truck driving experience and those participating in the Diesel Driving Academy’s truck driver program have a variety of backgrounds and experiences. However, for returning service men or women that are looking for a career that pays well, offers flexibility and can utilize some of the skills learned in military training, becoming a commercial truck driver could be the best choice.
Diesel Driving Academy has been supporting veterans with its scholarship program as a way to give back to those that have given so much and considering a career as a truck driver could be the right step for veterans in need of a new career field.
