Today is Veterans Day, and this year the trucking industry is doing more than posting flags on social media. Carriers are building actual hiring pipelines for people coming out of uniform — and the timing is not an accident, because the industry needs drivers and veterans need a clear door in.
The news
Commercial Carrier Journal’s November 9, 2026 briefs report that Semper Forward, a veteran workforce organization and a division of Fastport, has formed a strategic partnership with Anderson Trucking Service (ATS) of St. Cloud, Minnesota — a CCJ Top 250 carrier, ranked No. 51, and a certified Veteran-Friendly Employer. Semper Forward will build a dedicated pipeline of military talent into ATS driving and logistics careers, using installation outreach, hiring events, and direct referrals — a clear path from uniform to the road, in CCJ’s words.
The need is real on both sides. Thousands of service members leave the military every year, many of them with heavy-vehicle, logistics, and freight experience from their service — but without a direct connection to employers who understand how those skills translate. Meanwhile, “Driver Shortage” returned to the top 10 of ATRI’s 2026 Top Industry Issues report last month after falling out of the top 10 in 2025. Through the ATS partnership, candidates can pursue company driver roles in flatbed, dry van, heavy haul, and Department of Defense Teams freight, independent contractor paths with equipment leasing, and non-driving operations and logistics jobs. Military spouses are included in the outreach.
The same CCJ roundup carries two more Veterans Day-week stories. Pilot named U.S. Army veteran and Purple Heart recipient Joshua Kearney its 2026 Road Warrior winner. Kearney, a Kaplan Trucking driver from North Ridgeville, Ohio, with close to a million accident-free miles, was chosen from more than 2,000 nominations; Pilot, Kenworth, and the Diesel Brothers handed him a customized Kenworth W990 and a $50,000 check on October 27. And OOIDA launched its 20th annual Truckers for Troops campaign, running November 9–15 — since 2007 it has raised more than $800,000, shipped more than 3,369 care packages, and supported more than 39,500 service members, with discounted $35 memberships this week sending 10% to the troops fund, matched dollar for dollar by OOIDA.
What this means for car haulers
Veterans are the most natural driver pool this industry has — and most carriers still recruit them by accident. A driver who ran heavy vehicles, managed freight, and worked under discipline and deadlines in uniform does not need to be sold on what the job is. What they need is what Semper Forward is building for ATS: a visible door, a referral path, and an employer who can translate military experience into a seat without making the veteran decode civilian job postings. If a national carrier is formalizing that pipeline, a car-hauling operation can do the same thing at its own scale — military job boards, base-transition offices, and veteran referrals from the drivers you already have.
The shortage is back on the industry’s own list. ATRI putting “Driver Shortage” back in its top 10 means the carriers competing with you for drivers are treating hiring as a top-tier problem again. For car haulers — where a good driver is harder to replace than a truck — that means the operations that build a reputation as a place veterans (and drivers generally) get treated right will fill seats the others cannot. If you are hiring, our CDL driver opportunities page is where drivers find us — and a veteran reading it should see a straight offer, not a maze.
This week, the cheap and decent thing is also the visible thing. Truckers for Troops runs through November 15. A $35 OOIDA membership this week puts money toward care packages and veterans’ facilities, matched by OOIDA — and nearly 40% of OOIDA’s own membership has worn the uniform, per its president. Joining, renewing, or donating takes minutes.
The bottom line: the industry spent years saying “we should hire more veterans.” This Veterans Day, the serious carriers are building the plumbing to actually do it. Car haulers who do the same — even at one-truck scale — will have drivers to choose from while everyone else is still posting “help wanted” and hoping.
Call Victor at 954-947-3096 — if you are a veteran looking for a driving seat, or a carrier looking for drivers who show up like it matters, let’s talk.
Source: Commercial Carrier Journal, “ATS partners with vets-hiring firm Semper Forward” — Trucking news and briefs for Monday, Nov. 9, 2026 — https://www.ccjdigital.com/workforce/article/16424561/ats-partners-with-vetshiring-firm-semper-forward. Figures (Road Warrior nominations, Truckers for Troops totals, ATRI ranking) are as reported there.
