Milwaukee, Wisconsin – Today, as part of the American Legion’s National Higher Education and Credentialing Summit, the American Trucking Associations emphasized the important role that reaching out to, and easing the credentialing burden on, veterans and returning servicemembers has in addressing the industry’s ongoing labor shortage.
“Trucking has tens of thousands of openings – behind the wheel, on the shop floor and in the back office – and our men and women in uniform are tremendous candidates that our industry is reaching out to and trying to make the transition from the military easier for,” said ATA Vice President of Workforce Policy Nick Geale.
Geale participated, along with ATA’s Workforce Heroes Truck, in the American Legion’s National Higher Education and Credentialing Summit here as part of Task Force Movement – a national organization dedicated to creating pathways to careers for returning veterans.
“Right now, our industry is short 80,000 drivers – jobs that pay upwards of $70,000 or more per year, giving our returning veterans a middle class lifestyle without the debt and expense of a college degree,” Geale said. “ATA and our partners are working to make it easier for these men and women to translate their military experience to a CDL, cutting red tape in the licensing process and getting these heroes into well-paying careers.”
Learn more about ATA’s Workforce Heroes program and other workforce development efforts at trucking.org.