To curb the truck driver shortage and create immediate jobs for transitioning military personnel, the US Chamber of Commerce Foundation's Hiring Our Heroes Program (HOH), Kenworth, and FASTPORT have come together to award a fully loaded Kenworth T680 Signature Edition truck to a deserving veteran who enters the trucking industry. (See the truck in the image above.)
It’s all a part of the amazing Transition Trucking: Driving for Excellence Award.
The search for America’s top military rookie driver will educate veterans and America about the support from leading manufacturers and service providers that enhances the safety and comfort of the 3.5 million professional truck drivers while performing their duties—and provide an incredible head start to one veteran's entrepreneurial career.
The winner will be selected following a year-long competition among veterans, guard members, and reservists who have made a successful transition in the trucking industry following military service.
The winner's T-680 truck boasts a stamped aluminum cab and integral sleeper and has a manufacturer’s suggested retail price of approximately US$155,000. Additionally, the campaign will recognize the employer and CDL credentialing institution that hired and trained the winner.
America’s trucking industry has long been supportive of our nation’s military families, and several major carriers boast a driving population comprised of more than 30 percent veterans.
Winning in 2022 was Ashley Leiva, who served 15 years as an Army combat veteran, retiring in 2021 after serving her country. She returned home to Texas, where she and her brother took over their recently-deceased mother’s trucking business, Noemi Trucking.
Leiva attended Del Mar Transportation, where she said she received excellent training and learned a good deal about the trucking industry. She and her brother haul crude oil in South Texas for Draco Energy. Her mother inspired her to go into driving because it made her feel like she “was on top of the world”. A high achiever, she is actively pursuing her BA in Business Management and raising her five-year-old daughter.
So, how do you nominate a veteran for the Transition Trucking: Driving for Excellence Award?
Schools and carriers may nominate up to five drivers: they must be a legal resident of the continental United States, a military veteran or have prior or current military service, and have started employment as a driver no earlier than January 1, 2022.
Go to: http://nominate.transitiontrucking.org/ and complete Step One. Now you can serve those who served for you.