When John Lyboldt took over the reins of the Truckload Carriers Association (TCA) six years ago, he surveyed the membership on his second day to learn what their struggles were and how TCA could better support their businesses.
From the responses he collected, he formulated the concept of “the four-legged stool” which became the basis of the value proposition of TCA membership throughout his tenure. The four “legs” that support this stool are: helping our members increase profitability, retaining a skilled workforce, building value of membership in TCA through enhanced offerings, and becoming the voice of truckload through government affairs efforts.
I am happy to say that today, we are announcing a new initiative to help our members with one of the most pressing issues facing the industry today: retaining skilled commercial vehicle operators.
After review of the Work Process Schedule and Instructional/Training Requirements with TCA’s Safety and Security Division, the association is pursuing sponsorship of the National Apprenticeship Program. The sponsorship is designed to assist carriers with the administrative lift required to become a registered and approved apprenticeship program provider. The sponsorship would also provide participating carriers access to an administrative manager to aid with the structure and reporting requirements and provide a playbook for pursuing tax credits and GI Bill benefits for drivers.
This is a great opportunity to target new driver candidate pools while having the support of Work Process Schedule and Related Instructional Outline, technical assistance and administrative support.
The apprenticeship program comes at ideal time – new Entry-Level Driver Training (ELDT) rules have set a new national standard for driver training. Industry and safety experts can feel more confident that 18 to 20-year-old drivers will receive a comprehensive and sound education.
We hope that expanding our carrier member’s recruiting reach to include younger drivers, trained to ELDT standards, will encourage a new generation to consider the great opportunities within the trucking industry.
