Green Light for Latino Careers in Trucking Pilot
Project
Alexandria, VA, January 12, 2004 - Clifton Parker,
Chairman, of the Truckload Carriers Association (TCA),
and president of G & P Trucking Co., Inc. in Gaston,
SC and the National Council of La Raza are pleased
to announce the launch of the Careers in Trucking Pilot
Project. NCLR affiliate, Congreso de Latinos Unidos
of Philadelphia, PA will kick off the Pilot with a
recruitment and orientation event from 9:00AM -12:00PM
Thursday January 15, 2004 featuring: Truck driving
simulators, representatives from Professional Truck
Driver Institute (PTDI) certified CDL training schools
All State Career, Lehigh Career and Technical Institute,
and carrier D.M. Bowman, Inc.
The Pilot Project is another program spearheaded
by TCA's Driver Recruitment and Retention Labor and
Human
Resources Committee, chaired by Ray Haight, president
of MacKinnon Transport, Inc., Guelph, Ontario, Canada
and Kevin Burch, president of Jet Express, Inc., Dayton,
OH. According to Burch: "With 80,000 new jobs
annually in the industry needing to be filled, and
the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration's new
hours of service rules giving each driver 2 hours less
on the road, I am excited about the relationship which
TCA is forging with NCLR and Congreso de Latinos Unidos,
Inc. and the potential projects and opportunities we
may create in the future."
The goal of the Pilot is to provide truckload carriers
with a new, reliable and significant source of CDL
drivers, by recruiting qualified bi-lingual Latino
drivers from communities in the USA. In order to
accomplish this project, TCA has been working with
the National
Council of La Raza (NCLR) and its community-based
affiliate in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Congreso de
Latinos Unidos, Inc. The funding for the training
will come from the Philadelphia Workforce Development
Corporation.
Congreso will manage recruitment, screening, referrals,
and support through the training and retention process.
Professional Truck Driver Institute (PTDI) certified
schools Lehigh Career and Technical Institute, Upper
Bucks Campus in partnership with the Sage Corporation
and All-State Career, Lester, Pennsylvania are the
selected training sites. D.M. Bowman, Inc. of Williamsport,
MD will participate in the recruitment and motivation
process in order to have trained CDL drivers to hire
as an outcome.
The Pilot will be launched in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
and if successful, will be replicated throughout
the country.
The series of Careers in Trucking Information Sessions
will be held on January 15, January 26 and February
19 from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at Congreso de Latinos
Unidos, 216 West Somerset Street, Philadelphia, PA.
If you are interested or know someone interested
in a well-paying profession that is in high demand
and
provides freedom, financial security and benefits,
this training fair is the place. Limited training
slots are available.
If you are interested, please contact Kim Cromer
at 215-763-8870 ext. 1238.
Eligible applicants need to be:
- at least 21 years of age
- able to pass a Department of Transportation
physical
- able to pass a pre-employment drug test
- able to communicate with the general public
in English
- Clean driving record
- No criminal history
"The Careers in Trucking Pilot Program, provides
Latino workers with an opportunity to obtain employment
with
a few weeks of training that can begin a career in
the industry. In turn, this partnership between NCLR,
TCA, D.M. Bowman and the Philadelphia Workforce Development
Corporation will supply the trucking industry with
a new source of qualified CDL drivers," stated
José Vargas, NCLR Project Manager.
TCA is the only national trade association whose
collective sole focus is the truckload segment of the
motor carrier
industry. The association represents dry van, refrigerated,
flatbed, and intermodal container carriers operating
in the 48 contiguous states as well as Alaska, Mexico,
and Canada. Representing operators of over 200,000
trucks, which collectively produce an annual revenue
of over $20 billion, TCA is an organization tailored
to specific truckload carrier needs.
The National Council of La Raza (NCLR) is a private,
nonprofit, nonpartisan, tax-exempt organization established
in 1968 to reduce poverty and discrimination, and
improve life opportunities, for Hispanic Americans.
NCLR works
toward this goal through two primary, complementary
approaches: Capacity-building assistance to support
and strengthen Hispanic community-based organizations,
especially those that serve low-income and disadvantaged
Hispanics; and applied research, policy analysis,
and advocacy. NCLR is the largest constituency-based
national
Hispanic organization, serving all Hispanic nationality
groups in all regions of the country. NCLR has over
250 formal affiliates who together serve 39 states,
Puerto Rico, and the District of Columbia - and a
broader network of more than 30,000 groups and individuals
nationwide - reaching more than three million Hispanics
annually.
|
