“Task Force Movement is . . . [the] bridge between veterans and the trucking industry, . . . that bridge that needs to be more accessible to our brother and sister veterans.” Honorable Patrick J. Murphy, former Acting Secretary of the Army
Seventy-two percent of all goods in America are shipped by truck and we have all seen in recent years the critical role that all types of truckers have played and continue to play in driving our economy, from long-haul/over-the-road truckers to local city drivers.
But . . . according to American Trucking Association, the trucking industry is experiencing a shortage of around 80,000 drivers. And that gap is expected to widen to over 160,000 by 2030. This has created a “perfect storm” for our economy—an economy and a supply chain system incredibly dependent on trucking, but a transportation industry facing a widening gap in qualified, experienced drivers. We also should be focused on the negative national security implications that gaps in our transportation system create.
This is where Task Force Movement: Life-Cycle Pathways for Veterans and Military into Trucking, chaired by former Congressman and veteran Patrick Murphy, steps in—TFM is a partnership between the trucking industry and leading veteran organizations, including Dixon Center for Military and Veterans Services, to recruit and retain service members and veterans into an industry that pays an average of 60,000 to 80,000 a year. Well-paying careers that include affordable healthcare and benefits, the definition of work with purpose.
Thanks go to Patrick Murphy and Cassie Byard, TFM’s Executive Director, for their leadership in guiding this coalition as we work with our partners in industry, like ABF Freight, and our partners in the federal government, like DoL-VETS, to identify best practices and initiatives that will provide opportunities for the approximately 70,000 veterans who have certified trucking experience in the last five years.
Not only veterans, but also the over 200,000 service members who leave active-duty each year, including women service members and service members of color.
If you are an organization that wants to be part of this work in making the lives of veterans and their families better, contact Colonel (Ret.) Sam Whitehurst at swhitehurst@dixoncenter.org.
