Serving Our People
In-House CDL Training Programs
The Issue
The U.S. and Canada are facing a shortage of commercial drivers. Aging demographics suggest the issue could become more pronounced in the future.
Our Solution
With over 10,000 commercial drivers at our company, it is critical to have a strong pipeline of qualified driver applicants. In order to fill this need, we opened two Commercial Driver License (CDL) training programs in the US - the first in Gastonia, North Carolina, and the second in Houston, Texas. Our target is to fulfill up to 30% of our commercial driver hiring needs through these schools.
The Benefit
The program is designed to upskill both existing and prospective employees who exhibit character traits that align with our values as a company. Upskilling and investing in current and prospective employees foster increased morale and loyalty, resulting in lower 60-day, 180-day and 360-day turnover relative to commercial drivers that have been hired externally. Lower turnover benefits all our stakeholders and aligns with our sustainability objective to achieve a 25% reduction in voluntary turnover from 2018 levels.