More than a hundred soldiers from Fort Riley in Kansas recently attended the latest in a series of Fastport transportation forums and hiring fairs held at U.S. military bases.
These events are created in an effort to assist military service members preparing to transition into civilian life with the job search and hiring process, and are focused on trucking industry employment opportunities offered by participating truck fleets that actively seek to hire veterans.
A Kenworth T680 Advantage with 76-inch sleeper and a PACCAR MX-13 engine was displayed at Fort Riley during the event. Kenworth has also teamed with Fastport and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation’s Hiring our Heroes Program to find America’s top rookie military veteran, who has made the transition from active duty to driving for a commercial fleet. For the second consecutive year, Kenworth will donate a T680 Advantage to serve as the “Transition Trucking: Driving for Excellence” recognition award.
“It was great to visit with the many soldiers from the 1st Infantry Division – nicknamed the ‘Home of the Big Red One’ – and give them a taste of the trucking industry with our T680 on display,” said Kurt Swihart, Kenworth marketing director. “We again will donate a T680 Advantage this year to say thank you to all our military veterans for their service. Kenworth encourages each trucking fleet associated with FASTPORT to submit at least one or two names of rookie drivers that are military veterans by the June 30 nomination deadline for the truck giveaway.”
Full criteria and online nomination forms can be found on the “Transition Trucking: Driving for Excellence” website (www.transitiontrucking.org). The 10 finalists will be announced on July 21, and recognized on Aug. 26 at the Great American Trucking Show in Dallas.
“These Fastport events provide an excellent opportunity for military service members to interact with hiring personnel from participating fleets that are seeking to hire truck drivers, service technicians and other positions for their operations. Fastport fleet customers have hired more than 17,000 veterans into the trucking industry since June 2014,” said Brad Bentley, Fastport president.
