R & R Trucking, Inc. Partners With Fort Knox to Provide CDL Training for Transitioning Soldiers
JOPLIN, Mo. (PRWEB) July 08, 2016 -- R & R Trucking, Inc. announced they have reached a multi-year Agreement with the United States Army post at Fort Knox, Kentucky. R & R will have direct responsibility for truck driver training to assist soldiers in obtaining a Commercial Drivers License (CDL). There is no monetary cost to the solider for going through the 5 week CDL training program. Soldiers that complete the 5 week CDL program will be offered employment at R & R.
According to the American Trucking Associations (ATA), the trucking industry has committed to hiring 100,000 veterans over the next two years.
“We are proud to help bring CDL training directly to the Fort Knox base”, said R & R CEO, Phil Nelson, "and believe we lead the way in what our industry has committed to do.”
The Fort Knox and R & R initiative is the latest addition to the U.S. Army’s Career Skills Program (CSP) launched nationally in 2015 in cooperation with the Soldier for Life Transition Assistance Program. The CSP program provides credentialing, training, apprenticeships and internships to active duty service members who will soon be leaving the service. The goal is to provide more opportunities for service men and women in preparing to enter civilian life. The program is open to all service members, but Soldiers have priority.
In a recent interview with NBC affiliate, WAVE3 television, Louisville, KY., Stephen Alton, Garrison Commander at Fort Knox, said the career skills program is an opportunity to marry that very high trained workforce with employers that need those skills. “We have one of the best-trained work forces in the United States in soldiers that are transitioning out of the army,” said Alton.
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R & R is North America’s largest trucking company that specializes in the transport of sensitive cargo and transports much of its sensitive cargo for the Department of Defense (DOD).
The DOD conducts extensive background checks on those truck drivers wishing to receive clearances to transport DOD freight. “Background checks and the clearance process can be very cumbersome and time consuming for the vast majority of truck drivers”, said Vonda Cooper, Vice President Operations, R & R Trucking. “Soldiers signing up for the Fort Knox CDL training already completed the clearance process. That gives them a distinct competitive edge over most other truck drivers in the industry.”
According to ATA figures, the trucking industry Truckload (TL) sector experienced a 90-100 percent driver turnover last year with estimates that there could be a shortage of over 70,000 truck driving jobs in 2016.
“Because our pay, home time and other benefits are superior to what most other carriers offer, R & R does not have the high driver turnover rate that most TL carriers experience, said Kevin McKelvy, Vice President of Administration for R & R. “The CDL program we have initiated with Fort Knox allows soldiers to enter the civilian workforce and immediately step into a very good paying job with R & R.”
“Being military friendly is more than lip service,” Nelson said, "and our door at R & R is always open to our veterans and to those who continue to answer our nations call to defend our freedoms.” READ MORE
For information on the Fort Knox and R & R CDL training program, contact Andy DesJardins, 417-623-6885 ext. #2151, or Lisa DesJardins, 417-623-6885 ext. #2152. You can also visit R & R’s website: randrtruck.com.
Kevin McKelvy, R & R Trucking, Inc., +1 417-623-6885 Ext: 2178, [email protected]
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