Werner Enterprises recently announced it has received approval from the Department of Veterans Affairs to extend its Professional Truck Driver Apprenticeship Program from 12 months to 24 months.
The extension means eligible veterans who have the Post 9/11 GI Bill benefits can now receive up to $22,555 of their tax-free education benefits while driving for Werner, in addition to their Werner pay.
One of Werner’s military-themed trucks“Extending our apprenticeship program is another opportunity for Werner to support and thank our country’s veterans for their service,” said Derek Leathers, president and COO. “It will help veterans gain financial stability as they transition out of the military and into a new career path as a professional driver.”
Initiated by Werner and approved by the Department of Labor and VA in 2006, the apprenticeship program was the first of its kind in the trucking industry to focus on the recruitment of veterans.
Werner has hired more than 6,000 veterans since 2012 and more than 300 veteran spouses since May of 2013, surpassing the pledge it made in 2012 under the White House campaign Joining Forces to hire 1,000 veterans per year for the next five years. Werner has pledged to hire 2,200 veterans and 200 veteran spouses in 2015.
Headquartered in Omaha, Neb, Werner Enterprises, Inc. was founded in 1956 and is among the five largest truckload carriers in the United States.
