Yellow applauds new training partnership between U.S. Department of Labor and the American trucking associations

Yellow CEO Darren Hawkins joins signing ceremony with U.S. Secretaries of Labor and Transportation

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) will partner with The American Trucking Associations (ATA) to make skilled labor apprenticeship programs more accessible to men and women who are interested in professional truck driving careers.

“Yellow is a leader in the Department of Labor apprenticeship program partnership,” said Darren Hawkins, CEO of Yellow Corporation (NASDAQ: YELL). “I’m eager to share our positive experiences with fellow trucking companies. We have the same goal: training the next generation of qualified, safe drivers. I’m excited to pitch in and encourage more companies to take part in this program,” Hawkins continued. For nearly five years, Yellow Corporation has participated in the DOL apprenticeship program. Yellow is also a member of the ATA.

On March 1st, Hawkins joined U.S. Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh, Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg, ATA President Chris Spear, and Dave Harrison, executive director of Work Force Development, Government Programs and Military Employment Issues for FASTPORT Inc., for a signing ceremony at the Department of Labor. The White House recently identified expansion of the apprenticeship programs as part of its Trucking Action Plan to ease current supply chain constraints. Secretary Walsh launched the 90 Day Trucking Apprenticeship Challenge as a key component of the White House initiative.

Following Tuesday’s announcement, trucking companies of all sizes will find it easier to establish their own apprenticeship training programs. The ATA will administer the program for participating member companies. ATA member companies will then focus their resources on meeting certain training and compensation standards as they bring in new drivers for a two-year apprenticeship program that will provide graduated wages as drivers develop and expand their skills.

The public-private partnership is intended to address the nationwide shortage of qualified professional truck drivers. The ATA estimates that over the next decade, the U.S. will need more than one million new professional truck drivers to keep pace with consumer purchases and increasing e-commerce demands. The trade association calculates that the industry has a shortage of 80,000 drivers today. 

“The DOL-certified apprenticeship program is top-notch,” said Hawkins. “It enables companies to expand their driver training programs and, with today’s driver shortage, this public-private partnership is more crucial than ever. I’m confident that by working together, we can train the drivers the industry needs while offering men and women a path to a well-paid, respectable career.”