OOIDA partners with FASTPORT  and Hiring Our Heroes Program

Grain Valley, Mo., Nov. 10, 2014  – The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association has committed to helping veterans enter the trucking industry as entrepreneurs by providing its industry-leading education and mentoring support to FASTPORT and the Hiring Our Heroes programs. 

“We are proud to be partnered with these initiatives to help educate veterans on how to become owner-operators,” says Jim Johnston, president of OOIDA. “More than 35 percent of our members are veterans, and we want to support their transitions into trucking and creating meaningful, lifelong careers.”

 OOIDA has been fighting for the rights of all professional truckers for more than 40 years and has a proud history of effective representation, providing a strong, unified voice for all truckers. 

“We are delighted that OOIDA has committed to help educate our veterans on how to become entrepreneurs in the trucking industry,” said Eric Eversole, vice president at the U.S. Chamber and executive director of Hiring Our Heroes. “OOIDA has developed an impressive curriculum to help ensure the entrepreneur route is the right choice for a successful career.”

“Trucking is one of the best industries to start a small business, and veterans are among the best entrepreneurs in our industry,” says Bill McLennan, CEO of FASTPORT. “What is unique to the trucking industry is that we have a terrific organization in OOIDA, which serves to help our industry’s small-business professionals be successful throughout their livelihoods. OOIDA is the ideal partner to help educate and mentor the next generation of great American trucking entrepreneurs­­­— our veterans.”

ABOUT OOIDA
The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association is the only national trade association representing the interests of all professional truck drivers and small-business trucking companies. OOIDA was established in 1973 in the greater Kansas City, Mo. area and has grown to nearly 150,000 active members nationwide. For more information visit, www.ooida.com. 

ABOUT HIRING OUR HEROES
Hiring Our Heroes launched in March 2011 as a nationwide initiative to help veterans and military spouses find meaningful employment. Working with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s vast network of state and local chambers and other strategic partners from the public, private and nonprofit sectors, the goal is to create a movement across America in hundreds of communities where veterans and military families return every day. To date, Hiring Our Heroes has inspired more than 1,500 businesses of all sizes to hire 236,000 veterans, transitioning service members and military spouses. And as a direct result of more than 720 job fairs in all 50 states, Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia, 23,000 men and women have found employment.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation (USCCF) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit affiliate of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, dedicated to strengthening America’s long-term competitiveness by addressing developments that affect our nation, our economy and the global business environment.

About FASTPORT
FASTPORT develops user-friendly technology to improve motor carriers’ selection, qualification and hiring process for commercial drivers, ultimately providing better careers for drivers and growth for motor carriers. FASTPORT’s core product JobMaps™ revolutionizes traditional job posting, empowering motor carriers to efficiently find the best qualified drivers for their unique driving jobs. FASTPORT is committed to leveraging JobMaps™ to help enable over 50,000 veterans, and transitioning military service men and women, find great driving careers with great employers in the trucking industry. For more information, visit http://fastport.com and http://truckingtrack.org/.