FORT SMITH, Ark. - A training program jointly operated by ABF Freight(SM), an ArcBest company (Nasdaq: ARCB), the International Brotherhood of Teamsters and the U.S. Army to help soldiers transition to civilian careers as ABF Freight truck drivers will graduate the first class trained at Fort Riley, Kansas, on July 31, 2015.
Training includes a mix of classroom instruction and hands-on driving training provided by experienced ABF Freight professional drivers during qualifying soldiers’ final weeks of enlistment. Successful completion of the program sets the future veteran on a career path as a professional driver, with ABF Freight offering employment to program graduates.
“ABF Freight drivers are among the best compensated in the industry, earning union-scale wages and enjoying all the benefits of driving for one of the safest and most respected motor carriers on the road. We’re proud to offer soldiers at the end of their military careers the opportunity to join our ranks,” said ABF Freight President Tim Thorne. “These soldiers possess a wide variety of skills and experiences that can serve as a great asset for our industry and those it serves. In our competitive business environment, former soldiers bring highly valued characteristics, such as leadership ability and a strong sense of mission.”
Known as the Teamsters Military Assistance Program, the program prepares soldiers to earn a Class A Commercial Driver’s License and HazMat certification. Announced at the Pentagon in January with a proclamation by Thorne, Teamsters General President James P. Hoffa and Lt. Gen. James C. McConville, U.S. Army deputy chief of staff G-1, the program began at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, and has since graduated and placed into driving jobs five classes of soldiers.
Fort Carson, Colorado will soon be added as a third location for the training of transitioning soldiers.
Fort Riley is the second base from which soldiers are graduating.
