The U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation’s Hiring Our Heroes program welcomes FASTPORT as the newest member of its Veteran Employment Advisory Council (VEAC). Rather than representing one company, FASTPORT represents its trucking industry partners, and works to recruit transitioning service members and veterans searching for employment. By joining the VEAC Chairman’s Circle, FASTPORT is acting upon its commitment to recruit 50,000 veterans into the trucking industry. Over the last two months, FASTPORT has also helped to secure hundreds of thousands of additional pledges from the American Trucking Associations, Holland, Cowan Systems, and more.

The Trucking Track Mentoring Program, co-developed by Hiring Our Heroes and FASTPORT, assists veterans, transitioning service members, and military spouses in finding careers in the trucking industry. The track was established to address the industry’s need for skills developed from all military backgrounds to fill more than 300,000 open positions. In its first three months, more than 1,500 mentor connections have been made and more than 500 job applications submitted to member companies.

“By joining the VEAC, FASTPORT is taking its commitment to serving military families to the next level,” said Eric Eversole, vice president at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and executive director of Hiring Our Heroes. “FASTPORT’s support will allow Hiring Our Heroes to highlight the opportunity and diversity of the trucking industry. We look forward to working together to get these talented men and women hired.”

“We’re proud to partner with the U.S. Chamber Foundation’s Hiring Our Heroes program to recruit talented military veterans and spouses into the trucking industry,” said Bill McLennan, FASTPORT CEO. “We represent the trucking industry, and we’re trying to motivate, educate, inspire and help get hired thousands of our finest veterans transitioning from the service and their spouses into the more than 300,000 open positions in trucking.”

FASTPORT becomes the newest member of the VEAC, an advisory council comprised of more than 30 of America’s largest employers across all industries and sectors. The councils are committed to five fundamental principles:

1. Hiring veterans and military spouses;
2. Sharing best practices and adopting next practices for veteran and military spouse employment;
3. Reporting measures such as job opportunities, interviews, and job placements;
4. Providing mentors to help transitioning service members and military spouses; and with the support of the U.S. Chamber’s vast grassroots network;
5. Enlisting the commitments of thousands of small businesses to hire veterans and military spouses and increasing the number of military-owned small businesses across America.

Through the support and advisement of both councils, more than 25,000 veterans and military spouses have obtained jobs through Hiring Our Heroes job fairs and more than 1,700 businesses of all sizes have pledged to hire 585,000 heroes as part of the Hiring 500,000 Heroes campaign. Of those commitments, 369,000 hires have been confirmed.

Hiring Our Heroes is a nationwide initiative to help veterans, transitioning service members, 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, Hiring Our Heroes has helped hundreds of thousands of veterans and military spouses find meaningful employment through more than 840 job fairs in all 50 states, Puerto Rico, the District of Columbia, and Germany; a suite of free online career-based resources; and the Hiring 500,000 Heroes campaign.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation is dedicated to strengthening America’s long-term competitiveness and educating the public on how the free enterprise system improves society and the economy.