 |
| Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
Through Program, More than 200 Service Men and Women Have Obtained CDLs to Prepare for Post-Military Careers in Transportation Industry
RICHMOND – Governor Bob McDonnell today announced the one year anniversary of the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles’ (DMV) Troops to TrucksSM program. Through Troops to TrucksSM more than 200 military men and women have come one step closer to civilian careers in the transportation industry.
Through a partnership between the Virginia DMV, the military and transportation-related businesses, participants in the Troops to TrucksSM program fast-track the process for getting a commercial driver’s license (CDL). Many service members are trained to operate large vehicles that meet the definition of a commercial motor vehicle. For those with at least two years of military vehicle driving experience, DMV waives the CDL skills test. For those with little or no military driving experience, commercial driver training is conducted on base before leaving service.
“The Commonwealth is committed to helping those who have served our country succeed in their civilian careers,” said Governor McDonnell. “Troops to TrucksSM is one of the many military and veteran programs that help meet the goal of Virginia becoming the most military and veteran-friendly state in the country. We must continue to pursue creative ways to serve the men and women who have sacrificed for our great nation.”
Five military installations in Virginia are certified as third-party testers through DMV – Fort Lee, Fort Pickett, Marine Corps Base Quantico, Joint Base Langley-Eustis and Naval Amphibious Base, Little Creek. Using a DMV-approved curriculum, military members are taught the needed skills to operate a commercial vehicle. When participants are ready for testing, the DMV 2 Go mobile office goes to the bases to administer tests and issue CDLs.
Troops to TrucksSM participants also complete an employment interest questionnaire. DMV provides those questionnaires to the Virginia trucking and busing associations for possible matches with businesses looking for qualified drivers.
“The characteristics of today’s veterans are the same characteristics that the transportation industry needs in its drivers – dedicated, dependable leaders,” said DMV Commissioner Richard D. Holcomb. “With a shortage of qualified drivers, we are helping match these men and women with good paying jobs.”
As more service men and women transition out of the military this summer, the program is expected to grow significantly. For more information about Troops to TrucksSM visit http://www.dmvnow.com/
