Trucking News: Veterans, Vaccines & Trucking, plus Get Hired Quick

Celebrating military veterans in trucking and logistics

This week we celebrate Veterans Day and give thanks to the men and women who served honorably in the armed forces of the United States.

Of the approximately 9 million veterans employed across the U.S. economy, 10.3% are in commercial transportation. Today more than ever, the industry needs people who know how to solve problems under pressure. Here are some points to consider if you’re recruiting veterans for trucking and logistics work:

• Federal rules give states the ability to waive or expedite CDL skills testing for military personnel who have two years of safe driving experience in a large truck or bus. To date, more than 40,000 veterans have benefited from this program.
• Veterans can use the GI Bill to cover the costs of getting a CDL, attending truck driving school and accepting apprenticeships at VA-approved trucking operations.
• The Veterans Employment Training Service from the U.S. Dept. of Labor identifies available jobs in supply chain management, truck driving, truck and engine mechanics and other professions where veterans can apply their experience, skills and work ethic.
• U.S. Chamber of Commerce helps companies recruit military veterans and spouses through its Hiring our Heroes program. The American Trucking Associations participates in Hiring Our Heroes and encourages ATA member companies to get involved in veteran hiring programs.

Truck fleets, freight brokers and shippers have been welcoming places for returning service members and veterans looking for fulfilling careers. We’re grateful that so many heroes bring their talents to the industry.

What does a federal vaccine mandate mean for truckers?

A federal requirement for private employers to make sure their employees are either vaccinated against COVID-19 or get tested weekly is now in the courts.

On Sunday, the U.S. Court of Appeals issued a temporary stay of OSHA’s Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) on vaccines and testing for companies with 100 employees or more, citing “grave statutory and constitutional concerns.” You can read the Federal Register notice here. Scopelitis, a law firm specializing in transportation, has posted a thorough ETS Q&A here.

The ETS is part of a plan announced by President Biden to reduce COVID infection numbers. The testing mandate for unvaccinated workers would be enforced starting on Jan. 4, 2022, although many truckers would be exempt from the rules which do not apply to people working remotely, alone or exclusively outdoors.

By rule, an ETS can stay in effect for no more than six months; this one would expire on May 5, 2022, should it survive the legal challenges.

30 minutes or less… And you’re hired

Employers are emphasizing speed and convenience over credentials in an increasingly competitive job market. Take UPS, which plans to hire more than 100,000 seasonal employees to handle the package volume leading up to the holidays.

While an October-January employment surge is nothing new, UPS said the hiring process has changed dramatically:

• UPS is promising to offer jobs within 30 minutes of a candidate submitting an application.
• UPS’s “30-minutes-or-less” pledge covers the company’s most common jobs for seasonal employees: package handlers and driver helpers, who take a package from a truck and deliver it to doorsteps, but don’t drive the UPS vehicle.
• The company has reduced the scope of its job application to only what’s absolutely necessary. Applicants can submit all their documents online and skip interviews. Previously, the typical application and hiring process would take up to two weeks.

UPS said 70% of all of job applications it receives are done on a mobile device. That’s in line with current trends: last year, the number of job applications submitted via mobile surpassed those submitted via desktop, said Appcast, which analyzed 7 million applications to nearly 1,300 U.S. employers. Mobile applications accounted for 61% of all applications in the study, and gig and transportation job functions saw the highest percentage of mobile applications among the 24 industries analyzed.

UPS also said it spends 75% of its advertising on social media channels and the rest on print, broadcast and other more traditional means. That’s almost a complete flip from three years ago.