In honor of Warehouse Associate Appreciation Week from June 13-19, Penske Logistics recognizes our 6,430 associates who perform warehouse work. Thank you for all you do to move us forward.
Do you want to join our growing team? Visit Penske.jobs today to find a career opportunity near you.
By Nicole Forktus
Penske Truck Leasing and Penske Logistics are 2019 Military-Friendly Employers. Both companies earned entry onto the list created by VIQTORY media, the publisher of G.I. Jobs and Military Spouses magazines.
This list was created with the help of an independent research firm and proprietary survey information from participating organizations.
“We have been steadfast in our commitment to hiring military veterans and active Guard and Reserve personnel,” explained Jennifer Sockel, Penske Truck Leasing senior vice president of human resources. “Their experiences and training have helped make Penske a transportation industry leader.”
Penske promotes employment opportunities in military publications, on veterans' job boards, and through exclusive partnerships with military-friendly organizations including ESGR, G.I. Jobs, RecruitMilitary, Military Officers Association of America, VetCentral, Bradley-Morris, Inc., Lucas Group, VRS Virtual Veteran Career Fairs, Hirepurpose and Corporate America Supports You.
Penske has teamed up with Veteran Recruiting (VR) and other leading employers to support the VetFriendly Jobs Initiative to hire or train 100,000 veterans by 2020.
Penske was one of many companies that joined efforts with VR to support the White House Joining Forces Initiative, which led to the hiring of 170,000 veterans between 2011 and 2016.
Sean Wilkins, Penske’s manager for military recruiting stated: “We are excited to expand our veteran employment efforts by strengthening relationships with military installations, improving our communication with top military talent, and building company-wide programs that help veterans successfully transition to Penske.”
Penske Truck Rental joined with Paralyzed Veterans five years ago to create the #OneWay4PVA campaign, which encourages rental customers to donate $1 to Paralyzed Veterans’ Mission: ABLE campaign.
Since 2013, the generosity of one-way rental customers, along with Penske donations on all one-way moves, have resulted in around $2.2 million for Paralyzed Veterans. Penske Truck Rental is a division of Penske Truck Leasing.
Over the last three years, veterans represented 9 percent of all Penske new hires.
Visit www.GoPenske.com/veterans for more information on career opportunities.
By “Move Ahead” Staff
Everything seems big when you grow up the youngest of seven children, but nothing more so for Earl Taylor than his older brother’s tall royal blue Kenworth tractor, with its tandem axles and twin stacks.
Taylor would be mesmerized as his older brother - an over-the-road driver - would share tales of his adventures driving his sleeper unit over the open road.
Now it is Taylor, a professional driver for Penske Logistics, who has tales of his own to tell, including traveling to the White House to advocate on behalf of the trucking industry as part of the American Trucking Associations (ATA) 2017-2018 America’s Road Team.
“I really didn’t consider being a trucker at the time. One day the opportunity presented itself, and I decided why not,” said Taylor, now in his 20th year driving trucks for Penske Logistics in Orlando, Florida. “I remembered my brother having a good life with trucking as a career, so I gave it a shot.”
Grabbing Hold of a Great Career
While he always loved automobiles, Taylor was introduced to oversized vehicles during his time in the Army as a tactical operations specialist, where he would be required to drive five-ton military vehicles.
After his time in the Army, Taylor worked for a package delivery company, where he received his first taste of truck driving, before joining Penske Logistics as a part-time driver.
“I had never driven farther than 15 to 20 miles in one trip. I wanted to do more with my life and career,” Taylor said. “Penske gave me an opportunity to come on full-time, so I took advantage of that, and I felt like it was the greatest move of my life.”
Penske offered Taylor so many more opportunities that he could not find with another company. He respected the Penske brand and the company’s position as a leader in the transportation industry.
“I became a Smith System trainer. I was also able to further my skills at customer service, being a delivery person and interacting with the general public,” Taylor said. “Penske allowed me to be myself on a daily basis, which made me feel like I was part of something special.”
Beyond that, his job as a professional driver allowed him the flexibility to spend time with his two sons, who were active in sports growing up, including some coached by Taylor.
“Penske allowed me to have some flexibility by enabling me to work at night and have the day to be a part of practice and coach the games for my kids,” said Taylor, who coached youth football and high school track and field.
By far, his biggest professional opportunity was on the horizon.
From Professional Driver to Road Team Captain
Penske Logistics truck driver Earl Taylor (standing) speaks during a visit to the White House as President Donald Trump (seated center) listens.
One day when he was in the break room, he saw a posting about the ATA’s America’s Road Team and the selection of a new class of America’s Road Team Captains.
“I always wanted to do more with my career, so I took this opportunity to get involved. I put my best into it and hoped for the best,” said Taylor, who was attempting to become only the second Penske professional driver to be named a Road Team Captain.
Neil Kirk, the first Penske professional driver to be named a Road Team Captain, served as a mentor to Taylor.
“His influence was instrumental in building confidence in me and helping me believe that I really did have a chance to make this happen,” Taylor said, adding that they worked on mock media training and in mock panel sessions. “I really appreciate his efforts.”
Once Taylor became a finalist, the pair communicated over the phone and by text message as the time approached for the final selections to be made.
“I made up my mind that I could accept it either way because anyone who was chosen of the 33 finalists would be worthy, because they were a great bunch of people,” Taylor said. “When I heard my name called, it was surreal.”
Taylor can now count himself among an elite group of truckers whose role is to promote the trucking industry as well as bring to light issues that impact everyone who shares the road.
One of the early highlights of his tenure came in March when Taylor traveled to the White House with other Road Team Captains and the ATA to meet President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence and speak on behalf of the trucking industry (pictured above).
“The president was real open to hearing us and was very concerned about our issues in the trucking industry,” Taylor said. “The president and vice president spoke to each and every one of us and asked us questions. They both wanted our opinions.”
The Road Ahead
After his time as Road Team Captain comes to an end in 2018, Taylor intends to continue to spread his safety message in the community – paying particular attention to young drivers and distracted drivers.
Taylor’s colleagues have applauded his efforts on behalf of the industry and Penske.
“I’ve been very impressed with the way Earl has responded to the challenge of being a Road Team Captain,” said Paul Penatzer, Senior Operations Manager – PL, Orlando, Florida. “He has gained the respect of his peers and his supervisors due to his level of engagement, his tenacity and the way he has accepted the responsibilities of his new role. I believe he’s becoming a great ambassador to our industry and to Penske.”
The road that brought him to his current role has had its own share of detours for sure, but Taylor wouldn’t have it any way.
“I am just beside myself, because I never thought I would make it to this point,” Taylor said. “Things I tried out didn’t work and things that worked out pointed me in this direction. Life has been preparing me for this all the while.”
Interested in a driving career with Penske? Visit gopenske.com/drivers for employment opportunities. The company offers competitive wages and a wide range of benefits. Penske is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
By Bernie Mixon
Just as he had many times, Jeff Rutkowski slipped into the driver’s seat of his military security vehicle and headed out from his Afghanistan Marine base to help watch over a supply convoy bringing much-needed supplies to infantry units on the front lines.
“There was only one road in Afghanistan,” Rutkowski said, “and other than that, we created our own roads just driving through the desert, and pretty much they were laced the whole way with mines.”
It was during this supply run in October 2009 that Rutkowski suffered a concussion when his vehicle struck one of those mines and soon after came under mortar fire overhead from the Taliban.
Now a Tech II at Penske’s Montgomery, New York, district, Rutkowski received a Purple Heart for his service, an honor that the humble veteran cherishes.
“I debated whether to apply for it because there were people who lost their arms and legs, more severe than a concussion,” he said. “But not many people can say that they have a Purple Heart.”
The Purple Heart is awarded to members of the U.S. Armed Forces who are wounded by an instrument of war in the hands of the enemy and posthumously to the next of kin in the name of those who are killed in action or die of wounds received in action, according to the Military Order of the Purple Heart.
After joining the Marine Corps in 2007, Rutkowski, a newlywed with his first child on the way, worked as a diesel mechanic stateside before he was deployed to Afghanistan, where his job changed to convoy security.
It was not uncommon to have trucks come in contact with roadside improvised explosive devices (IED).
“We lost about 35 trucks that deployment,” he said. “That was probably in about six months. We hit 35 IEDs; some of the trucks we were able to salvage, but most of the time we had to borrow trucks from the Army and the Navy.”
On the day of his injury, Rutkowski’s truck began as the second in a convoy that left for the treacherous drive to Now Zad in Helmand Province, along a dirt road littered with explosives beneath and the threat of mortar shorts from the Taliban overhead.
It would soon become first.
The lead vehicle struck an IED, the force of the blast ripping off the front of the truck. Rutkowski’s vehicle was now on point, leading the convoy. A half-hour later, Rutkowski’s truck was the next to be claimed by a roadside explosive.
“We were trying to recover the vehicle,” he said. “We started getting random mortar shots. We called for a helicopter to give us ground cover while we tried to recover the vehicle. Then they had to leave. As we took off, they started shooting again, and we carried on with our mission.”
Rutkowski arrived at his destination suffering from a concussion as a result of the blast. After a few days, he was transferred back to his base and then eventually stateside, arriving in time to celebrate Thanksgiving Day in 2009 with his loved ones. “It was a present for us,” he said.
He would later decide to remain stateside and finish out his enlistment. Since retiring from the Marines, Rutkowski, a father to a son and two daughters, has spent the last three years as a Penske associate.
Mark Weiss, Branch Service Manager at the Montgomery district, said Rutkowski is a natural leader based on his qualities he brings to team building, attention to detail and focus to the task at hand.
“Jeff is a very hard working, dependable, caring, kind and compassionate individual,” Weiss said. “He absolutely deserved this award. Fighting for our country while his wife was pregnant with his first child shows his loyalty to our country.”
When Rutkowski became injured, his son was just 2 years old. Now 9, he understands the role his father played in serving his country.
“I have a shadow box of my military service. It has my uniform and all the ribbons and medals that I have; my dog tags, part of the IED, part of the truck that was blown up,” Rutkowski said. “Anytime his friends come over, he tells them ‘My Dad is a Marine.’ He is so happy to tell them about it.”
“I didn’t think that I could be like that for my son,” Rutkowski said. “He calls me his hero.”
As part of Penske’s recognition of Veterans Day, we are profiling associates who are military veterans. Penske has earned recognition as a top military-friendly and vet-friendly employer. Over the last three years, veterans have represented 11.4 percent of all new hires. For more information about Penske’s open positions for veterans, visit Penske’s post-military careers page. Penske offers competitive wages and a wide range of benefits. Penske is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
By Bernie Mixon
As tales of trucking life leapt from the small screen, in such 1970s and ‘80s television programs as “Movin’ On” and “BJ and The Bear,” a teenaged Brian Tolle found himself drawn to the freedom of a life lived on the road.
Never one to be in favor of the confining space of an office or warehouse job, Tolle found himself considering trucking as a career because it looked interesting, he liked to drive and wanted the opportunity to travel.
“I still enjoy this job after 35 years,” said Tolle, a Penske Logistics driver (pictured right). “I am not a young guy like when I started at 25 years old, but I still like the appeal.”
So has the television and movie industry, which has produced trucking-themed entertainment dating back to “They Drive By Night,” released in 1940, starring Humphrey Bogart as an independent truck driver struggling to make ends meet during the Great Depression.
“There was a time when big rig drivers were looked on as free spirits and even maybe romantic, but not so much today,” said Howard Buck, CEO of Studio Services Inc., which represents Penske vehicles for product placement opportunities in film and television.
Yet, the 1970s could be considered the golden era for movies depicting trucking life with the release of “Convoy” as well as the “Smokey and The Bandit” series.
“I think the Smokey and the Bandit film with Jerry Reed, a popular country singer at the time, playing a free-spirited character Cledus, is possibly the very best example of a loveable sidekick who happens to be a very good big rig driver,” Buck said.
The Sylvester Stallone film “Over the Top” is “another great example of a lovable character struggling to make a living with his old rig,” Buck said. “It is not hard to pull for him to win and get his life’s dream – a new tractor.”
While storylines may have slowed, placement of trucks, including some Penske trucks, can be found in some of today’s most popular summer films, including blockbusters like “The Amazing Spiderman” and “Captain America: The Winter Soldier.”
“Because of our relationship with the motion picture industry, Penske Truck Rental is the number one brand used for production equipment rentals,” Buck said. “If a film is specifically looking for a semi-truck, delivery van, or moving vehicle, we will get the first call.”
For his part, Tolle said he looks back fondly at those old programs that helped him choose a life-long career.
Interested in a driving career with Penske? Visit www.GoPenske.com/drivers for employment opportunities. The company offers competitive wages and a wide range of benefits. Penske is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
By Bernie Mixon
Body shop technicians at Penske Truck Collision Repair Centers specialize in commercial vehicle recovery, repairs and finishing. Each year, body shop technicians repair more than 20,000 commercial vehicles.
Gregg Mangione, Penske Truck Leasing senior vice president of maintenance, stated that company truck technicians can learn many new things in "our system."
As one of the largest transportation companies in North America, Penske Truck Leasing has the responsibility of servicing a 231,600-piece equipment fleet on behalf of its customers.
While an 8,000-person maintenance workforce (representing nearly a third of its global headcount) seems like enough associates to keep trucks of all shapes and sizes running well and on-time, Penske -- much like the rest of the industry – needs more commercial truck mechanics to provide the comprehensive fleet maintenance solutions its customers rely on to keep their businesses moving forward.
The new chairman of the Technology & Maintenance Council, Douglas White Sr., was recently quoted by Transport Topics magazine as stating: “We’re suffering a severe shortage of technicians today.“
According to an American Trucking Associations news release, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates the industry will need to hire 67,000 maintenance professionals by 2022.
Ron Schwartz, director of staffing services who works in Penske’s Reading, Pennsylvania, headquarters, stated that adding technicians is one of the top hiring needs in 2016 and beyond.
By a conservative count, Penske will onboard 2,000 new technicians by 2018.
Searching Far and Wide to Uncover Talent
To hear Schwartz explain it one of the solutions involves casting a wide net. Talent is available at technical schools, community colleges and in the military.
Just how has the company taken a broad approach? Here are a few ways:
“We have a major need for entry-level technicians,” Schwartz stated. “In some cases, they have come to work for us part-time while attending school and we hired them full-time after graduation.”
There are Careers at Penske
Millennials value being developed and seeing a career path laid out before them. Penske offers the opportunity for techs to increase their skillsets and feature multiple levels based on ability and experience. About 42 percent of the company’s starting level technicians are 30 and younger.
“I don’t think that students and parents understand how big the market is and how many opportunities there are in this field,” said Todd Stokes, Lincoln Tech director of career services & partnerships. “Shop technicians can also go into recruiting and management.”
Just because a technician graduates from a school in Ohio doesn’t mean he or she needs to remain there. Industry opportunities abound in the Southeast and Southwest parts of the United States, which correlates with the country’s growth areas.
“We get students from every corner of the U.S.,” explained John Hurd, a WyoTech industry relations specialist. “They attend our diesel technology programs in Wyoming and Pennsylvania and return back home.”
Travis Leybeck is a national strategic account manager for UTI. “It has become clear over the last few years that technicians are becoming more and more important to fleet companies and the industry as a whole,” he said. “Having quality technicians has become significantly more important to keeping fleets running.”
Gregg Mangione was named the company’s senior vice president of maintenance in January. He started 25 years ago as a rental representative and worked his way through a diverse set of management and operations positions with increasing responsibility.
His personal passion for quality maintenance and technology led to the position he holds today, where he is now focused on how to best maintain one of the most modern and technologically advanced fleets in the industry.
Mangione laid out the advantages of becoming a maintenance employee.
“They’re joining a company with the depth and resources to help them build a successful career,” Mangione explained on a recent Friday afternoon from his office. “We’re the kind of company that trains you for success in your job and will train you to take on a leadership role if that is what you’re interested in. Many of our maintenance leaders began as technicians in our company.”
As part of Penske’s multi-million dollar training program, each technician is given about 40 hours annually of training. “If people have the capacity and desire to learn, there are opportunities,” he said.
Learning Today to Keep Moving Forward
Mangione is referring to the Penske Technician Certification Program. TCP is recognized by the Automotive Training Managers Council as an Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) Continuing Automotive Service Education (CASE) training program.
This is an opportunity for an associate to ascend up the ladder: they can work toward becoming a lead technician, a branch service manager or a field vice president.
Lincoln Tech’s Stokes goes on to explain that the industry is still battling through the perception that the work of a technician in 2016 is dominated by wrench-turning.
The opposite is actually true and today’s trucks are quite complex electronically. That works out well for the next generation of technicians who grew up with smartphones and social networks.
“The systems on today’s trucks are entirely different than even 10 years ago,” Mangione pointed out. “There were 350 diagnostic fault codes on a truck manufactured in 2004. Now, there can be up to 2,000 fault codes coming off of a vehicle.
“Our business model as a company is that we provide newer vehicles to the customer and that means modern trucks for our technicians to triage and diagnose,” he continued. “Our technicians engage with the newest and leading-edge types of issues from a variety of truck manufacturers.”
In an interview with FleetOwner magazine, Mangione highlighted Penske’s smarter uses of technology.
“We looked at time and motion studies concerning trips to the toolbox and also trips to the PC and to a central printer,” he stated. “We found that 40 percent to 50 percent of their time was spent moving back and forth from PCs or to go to a printer. Why not use a tablet so all the fault codes and supporting information is right there?”
Trucks on the Road Equals Business Success
Technicians do truly play an important role in the success of a multi-billion dollar company like Penske Truck Leasing.
“It is all about the customer,” Mangione summarized. “As their key partner, our customers’ businesses are best supported when Penske rented and leased trucks are operating at maximum capacity. We need good men and women who want the satisfaction of fixing a truck and enjoy the challenges of being in this industry.”
To learn more about opportunities across North America with Penske Truck Leasing click here.
By Alen Beljin
For the second year in a row, Penske has been voted a Top 10 VetFriendly Employer in a survey of more than 62,000 veterans who participated in virtual career fairs with Veteran Recruiting.
Penske offers an ideal opportunity for veterans to transition their skills and expertise into careers ranging from truck drivers and maintenance technicians to management jobs in truck rental, leasing and logistics.
Sabrina Russell (left), a veteran of the U.S. Army Reserves, applies her military skills in her maintenance supervisor role at Penske Truck Leasing in Austin, Texas.
Sabrina Russell, a maintenance supervisor at Penske Truck Leasing in Austin, Texas, credits her time in the military for giving her the skills she needs to get the job done.
“My time spent in the military has given me discipline, patience and mechanical skills, all of which are used on a daily basis here with Penske,” said Russell, who is responsible for coordinating and scheduling repairs, and performing mechanical and electrical repairs to vehicles.
Russell in the U.S. Army Reserves
Russell started building her skillset after joining the U.S. Army Reserves in 1996. She spent the next few years performing a variety of tasks, including preparing units for shipment to Iraq and Afghanistan. Because of her hard work, Russell received an Army Commendation Medal for service at the Port of Philadelphia.
Russell said that her past experiences have enabled her to build a unique and useful skillset in the workforce. Her military background has also aided her in navigating difficult situations in her life and career.
“Things are very fast-paced working at Penske,” Russell said. “Work needs to be done correctly and efficiently the first time.”
Russell’s dedication to excellence suits Penske well, according to Ebony Owens, Manager – Human Resources.
“Her dedication, strong discipline and respect for her peers have accelerated her career thus far with Penske,” said Owens. “She really is a jewel of an employee.”
Because of her own success, Russell feels Penske is a good fit for other veterans who might be looking for a new challenge.
“Even though Penske trucks are a bit different than the equipment I worked on in the military, Penske has given me many opportunities to enhance my technical knowledge and to grow with the company,” said Russell.
Are you a veteran who wants to put your hard-earned mechanical skills to good use? Consider joining our highly skilled technician team. Penske offers competitive wages and a wide range of benefits. Penske is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
By Tony Kozuch
The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has awarded $2.3 million in grants to 13 technical and community colleges across the country to help train veterans and their families for jobs as commercial bus and truck drivers.
“One of the most important, fastest-growing employment sectors is for qualified commercial vehicle drivers, and veterans bring invaluable experience to the industry and can enter the workforce quickly,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx. “We support job opportunities for veterans who have served our country, but not only because it is the right thing to do — it also makes good sense.”
The FMCSA has doubled the funds, which are issued through the Commercial Motor Vehicle – Operator Safety Training grant program, from what it issued last year.
“We doubled the amount we have previously provided through this grant program because of the important role qualified commercial truck and bus drivers hold in moving our economy forward,” said FMCSA Acting Administrator Scott Darling. “The men and women who complete these commercial driver training programs also serve our country in a vital way by making safety their top priority every mile, every day.”
Penske Truck Leasing and Penske Logistics are actively recruiting and hiring veterans nationwide and have committed to hiring several hundred U.S. military veterans and their spouses into their workforce over the next several years through the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Hiring Our Heroes program. In 2014, 13 percent of Penske’s new hires were veterans.
Jennifer Sockel, Penske senior vice president of human resources, said, “We’ve had continuous success hiring veterans and their spouses onto our team and we value their experience, training and dedication to excellence in supporting our customers.”
In recognition of its efforts, Penske Truck Leasing and Penske Logistics have appeared on the Victory Media Top 100 Military-Friendly Employer list, which is issued by the publisher of G.I. Jobs and Military Spouse magazines, for several years. Penske has also been honored by the Department of Defense’s Employer of the Guard and Reserve with the Seven Seals, Above and Beyond and Patriot awards.
Penske also partners with the Paralyzed Veterans of America’s Mission: ABLE campaign, Support Military Spouses, World T.E.A.M. Sports and Toys for Tots.
FMCSA awarded its 2015 Commercial Motor Vehicle – Operator Safety Training grants to a variety of educational institutions that provide truck driver training, and the funds will provide training for hundreds of new students, the agency said. Recipients include:
[column-group]
[column]
California
West Hills Community College District,
Coalinga, $199,460
Georgia
Central Georgia Technical College,
Macon, $146,771
Maryland
Cecil College,
North East, $101,825
New York
Erie 2 Chautauqua Cattaraugus BOCES,
Angola, $105,201
North Carolina
North Carolina Department of Transportation,
Raleigh, $200,000
Ohio
Cuyahoga Community College
District, Cleveland, $195,040
Oklahoma
Central Technical Center,
Drumright, $200,000
[/column][column]Pennsylvania
Lancaster County Career & Technology Center,
Willow Street, $194,811
Pennsylvania
Northampton County Area Community College,
Bethlehem, $134,400
Pennsylvania
The Sage Corporation,
Camp Hill, $198,504
South Carolina
Orangeburg-Calhoun Technical College,
Orangeburg, $197,399
Texas
Alamo Colleges/St. Philip’s College,
San Antonio, $196,680
Virginia
Tidewater Community
College, Norfolk, $199,879
[/column][/column-group]
Penske Logistics Warehouse Order Selectors (from left): Todd Hall, Melvin Robertson and Aumoir Garnett.
The dream of a better life drove Aumoir Garnett to want more.
As a manager with a fast food restaurant, Garnett grew tired of living paycheck to paycheck and wanted more than just a job. He wanted a career with a company that offered good pay and benefits and could help him give his family a better life.
Garnett said he found that new way of life among the growing number of warehouse order selectors working at the Penske Logistics Shelbyville location, a cold storage warehouse providing logistics services to a leading grocery store chain.
“It is a good job, and it can change your life,” said Garnett, who has worked as a selector for the past six years. “It changed my family’s life. I’m not living paycheck to paycheck. I’m investing in my future.”
Located just 15 minutes from Indianapolis, Shelbyville offers the serenity of rural living along with the convenience of a big city. Some of the features include live horse racing, a host of restaurants, strong parks and recreation department and a golf course.
Penske Logistics, a leading provider of distribution center management and warehousing solutions, has operated and managed the 600,000-square-foot refrigerated food distribution facility since 2013.
The job of a warehouse order selector – just known as selectors in the warehouse – is to assemble and select cases from pick slots for store orders in an accurate manner and assemble orders onto pallets using voice-activated computers and pallet jacks.
The physical demands of the job include the ability to work in a cold storage warehouse environment with minus 20 degree to 55 degree temperatures for long periods of time. Order selectors must have the ability to lift 60 to 95 pounds and work in spaces with 55 inches of headroom.
The work is challenging but rewarding at the same time.
“There are multiple benefits. The location provides competitive wages. We pride ourselves on good communication, a team environment and timely feedback to our associates,” said Steve Chambers, general manager, Penske Logistics Shelbyville. “Our team is serious about safety and the safety of our employees. We over communicate safety topics on a daily basis and emphasize the importance of safe behavior.”
Advancement opportunities are available for those seeking to grow with the company.
“Whether it is moving up within the warehouse classification and learning different jobs or moving into management, this site has demonstrated the ability to grow people for future opportunities,” Chambers said.
Melvin Robertson, a selector and a trainer, said he likes the opportunities to advance.
“You have so many different doors open to you if you come in here and do a good job,” said Robertson, who has worked at the warehouse for more than five years.
While moving into a career with advancement was the central motivator for Garnett, it is moving of a different kind that was an unexpected benefit of working at the warehouse.
“It’s kind of like a workout,” said Garnett of his duties. “It kind of keeps you in shape. It’s an easy job but it is physical. It’s fun for me. I like the workout. I am constantly moving.”
Like Garnett, Robertson appreciates being on the go, so much so that he said he dropped 35 pounds in his first two months on the job. “I get paid good money and get a workout while I do it,” he said.
Penske Logistics is looking for warehouse order selectors to become part of an excellent team servicing the nation’s largest grocery store chain. It is a great opportunity for individuals who are safety conscious and have a pleasant, outgoing attitude and who want to excel in a warehouse environment. Penske Logistics offers excellent and competitive pay, benefits, paid time off, 401K, training, tuition reimbursement and unlimited career opportunities.
By Bernie Mixon
Linda Carroll, Penske Logistics truck driver.
Linda Carroll was working three jobs to help support herself and her young son when she decided to become a truck driver.
Now 25 years later, Carroll – a driver for Penske Logistics – is among a growing number of women who are changing the long-held male-dominated truck driver landscape. Once struggling for acceptance from their male counterparts, observers and drivers alike say the tide is turning.
As the transportation industry struggles to find ways to attract drivers, companies like Penske are turning to experienced women drivers to fill driver seats.
“Women drivers are every bit as capable as their male counterparts in delivering goods and services safely and efficiently to our customers,” said Steve Pitt, director of driver recruiting and retention, Penske Logistics.
“They are an untapped resource that provides tremendous opportunity, and we must continually identify ways to attract and retain women drivers in the transportation industry if we are going to be successful in growing the business,” he said.
Women drivers accounted for 5.8 percent of the 3.4 million drivers in 2014, according to the American Trucking Associations, citing U.S. Census data. The first known female commercial driver was Lilly Drennan, who received her commercial driver’s license in 1929.
It was a struggle for the first generation women drivers whose battle to learn a very physical occupation was only matched by the negative attitudes of men who railed against women in a man’s world.
“It was a hard job for men and women, but women were viewed as incapable of the task,” said Ellen Voie, president and CEO, Women in Trucking Inc. “Just about every female driver out there has been told that they should be home ‘barefoot and pregnant’ by some unenlightened male driver.”
Twenty years ago there were no separate showers for women, Voie said. The vehicles were more physically demanding to drive before the addition of power steering, air-ride seats and automatic transmissions.
Like many women driver pioneers, Carroll was determined to prove to her male counterparts that she was more than qualified to work as a driver.
“In those days, women were very competitive and challenged to keep up with the ‘Big Boys.’ You were expected to have a respectable identity to receive respect. Sometimes, I would be the last in line, given bad directions, and have the dirtiest job in the worst weather conditions,” Carroll said.
“I worked days, hours extra, when the other drivers would not work,” she continued. “I stayed persistent to my goals, and sometimes it paid off. Other drivers learned that I was not going to be the last in line anymore.”
As more women have entered the field, the battles waged by veteran women drivers have paved a smoother path for the current generation of women drivers.
Jesse Burnette, Penske Logistics truck driver.
Growing up in Michigan, Jesse Burnette longed to see the country.
“I never had the opportunity to leave the state much,” said Burnette. “I wanted more than just a ‘job.’ I wanted a career that not only could I make great money, but something I would love to do.”
Burnette, who has been driving for six years and will soon celebrate two years with Penske, said she has experienced some resistance, but it is more for the fact that she is still considered a relative new driver than her gender.
“Unfortunately, there are some men out there that feel women should not be in this field,” Burnette said. “I have noticed, though, that there is a shift in men’s attitudes toward women in trucking. More respect would probably be the correct word for it.”
Transportation companies are also recognizing the value of women truck drivers.
“The tide has changed in the past few years,” Voie said. “Carriers are now realizing the value of hiring women, and the tide has turned dramatically in the last two years or so to focus specifically reaching out to women as potential drivers.”
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By Bernie Mixon
As the transportation industry wrestles with how to fill open truck driver positions, companies like Penske have adopted creative ways to recruit and retain experienced drivers.
Long removed from just posting newspaper ads seeking drivers, transportation companies like Penske are leveraging social media platforms, approaching non-traditional applicant sources and even putting boots on the ground in an effort to attract drivers.