Lincoln, Neb.
With its new Patriot Fleet, Crete Carrier delivers its message of appreciation for military veterans over the road
While the current driver shortage hasn’t reached the doomsday scenario many analysts had predicted, competition for qualified drivers remains fierce. With a lack of skilled drivers entering the work force, many fleets have set their sights on one particularly attractive pool of candidates – military veterans.
Crete Carrier Corporation is no exception to this recent trend. In fact, in terms of actively recruiting veterans, the Lincoln, Neb.-based nationwide dry van carrier may well be the exception. The company’s motives for hiring military veterans is much deeper than simply filling seats, thanks in large part to a corporate philosophy driven by Duane Acklie, Crete Carrier chairman. Acklie himself is a military veteran, having served two years of active duty in the U.S. Army – including 20 months in Germany – as well as seven years in the Reserves.
“We have to do everything we can to help [veterans and troops returning from overseas] because they have not had the chance to network while they were in the military, and we have to make up for that,” says Acklie. “When I served in the Army, I had gone out of the country for 20 months, and in 20 months when you’re overseas, you lose contact with a lot of people. … I had to do a lot of scrounging to try and find the job that I wanted. We can’t expect people to go away and serve many years in the military and then come back and not have anything to do.”
