The trucking industry has long been a natural career destination for those who have served in the U.S. Military, offering veterans financial stability and career path opportunities to repurpose their skills while still serving their communities.
Randy Dye
Sales Executive, CDLLife
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 1 in every 10 truck drivers is a military veteran, which is double the rate of U.S. workers in general. Many trucking companies strongly prioritize hiring military veterans as drivers, offering perks like custom wrapped trucks or reimbursement for driver training in hopes of enticing more veterans to join their fleets.
Why are trucking companies working so hard to lure veterans to their professional driving teams? Veterans and military members are our nation’s greatest resource. They are the most skilled, educated, dedicated, and determined individuals on the planet. They have been through rigorous training, and they have the tactical and practical know-how to respond to nearly any situation they encounter. Many veterans find trucking to be a natural fit because of their military experience, having operated military vehicles. They bring a unique skill set and ability to handle heavy equipment.
Veterans add value to trucking teams
The skills developed by a military career come in handy when you’re in control of an 80,000-pound truck. Each day out on the road, truckers have to navigate, negotiate, and react to road hazards in the blink of an eye. To succeed in trucking, you need expert-level problem-solving skills, a mission-oriented mindset, and mental and physical toughness. Veterans bring all of this to the table and more, making them a valuable asset to trucking companies looking to hire safe and reliable drivers.
Trucking provides structure in post-military life
Some veterans struggle with transitioning from the rigorous day-to-day of the military to the less structured civilian world. A career in trucking can be a good fit for a veteran transitioning to civilian life because it offers some of the same structure (e.g., pickup and drop-off appointments to meet, hours-of-service regulations to follow, and daily pre-trip and post-trip equipment inspections to ensure highway safety for all) while also allowing the driver to enjoy the freedom of the road and to take pride in providing the goods needed to keep America running.
In the end, trucking offers an empowering and rewarding career experience for military veterans looking to make a difference and to deploy their unique skill set to serve their country in a new and exciting way.
