FORT HOOD, Texas -- Transition assistance officials here announced the addition of a commercial driver's license training opportunity for troops leaving the Army as part of its Career Skills Program.
The first four-week truck driver training course operated by Stevens Transport is set to begin at Fort Hood on Oct. 5.
The CDL course becomes the fifth such training opportunity available now through the Soldier For Life -- Transition Assistance Program at Fort Hood, joining Veterans in Piping; Shifting Gears; Systems, Applications and Products; and the Fort Hood Corporate Fellowship Program, which is an internship, according to Kyle Crump, program manager of the installation's Career Skills Program.
"The more programs that we provide, the better," Crump said of the newest edition. "We're looking at starting careers, and not just finding jobs."
Crump added that these types of programs are beneficial to transitioning troops because they also offer job placement assistance for its graduates.
Stevens Transport already operates driver's training outside several military installations including Fort Bragg, North Carolina, and Fort Carson, Colorado, but Fort Hood will be the first post where they are co-located on the installation.
"It's better," Crump said, "because Soldiers can go to classes right here."
The classroom portion of the CDL training will be conducted in the Education Center on post, while the behind-the-wheel training will take place on the Central Texas College campus across Highway 190 from the installation.
"Stevens Transport, the fourth largest refrigerator truckload carrier in the nation, is proud to partner with Fort Hood and the Army's Installation Management Command," vice president Angela Horowitz said of the upcoming partnership with Fort Hood. "Stevens has been training and employing veterans for 35 years. Twenty-five percent of our employees are veterans who joined us directly out of the military as professional drivers and have advanced their career throughout our organization.
"Fort Hood was selected to be our first Army 'home base' due to its proximity to our worldwide headquarters in Dallas," Horowitz added. "We are proud to partner with Central Texas College and Fort Hood to bring superior training and employment opportunities to the men, women and Families who have served our country."
She said the core values upheld by its transitioning troops makes them excellent candidates for employment.
"The United States military and Stevens Transport share the same core values of safety, integrity, respect, excellence, defined careers paths, superior training and leadership development," Horowitz noted. "Stevens Transport is a natural fit for all military personnel."
Michael Nunn, the CDL school director, joined Stevens Transport in 1993 after serving in the Army for nine years.
"After driving for 11 years, I came to Stevens Transport as an instructor in the school in 1993," Nunn said. "I was made a team leader the following year. I was responsible for an entire class and I did this until 2003. At this time, I became school director. I attribute my time in the military to being successful with Stevens. Being disciplined and organized helped for a successful transition into management."
Officials from Stevens Transport said they have already entered their recruitment phase for the Oct. 5 class. Soldiers can find out more about the upcoming CDL courses by going to www.becomeadriver.com. They also plan to be on hand at the next Mega Job Fair at Club Hood, Sept. 15, where several thousand job-seekers are expected to attend.
Additional small hiring seminars are in the works leading up to the class start date, according to Carl Childs, military program manager with Stevens Transport.
For Soldiers to take part in any of the Career Skills Program offerings at Fort Hood, including the new CDL course offered beginning in October, Crump said there are three steps.
"On the military side," Crump said, "it's important that they go through us first."
The first step, he said is for Soldiers to attend a mandatory CSP briefing conducted twice monthly, on the first and third Monday of the month. The next step, Crump said, is for Soldiers to receive and fill out an application packet from SFL-TAP, which is submitted through the Soldier's chain of command to authorize participation in the program of instruction.
The final step is for the organization offering the training or internship program to select their candidates for the course or program. Crump said this is a competitive process, and the selection is left to the agency providing the opportunity.
Stevens Transport said the first CDL training course held at Fort Hood will have 15-25 students. Crump noted that Soldiers can apply for courses like the CDL training once they hit their final 180-days in the Army.
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