One year ago, Sgt. 1st Class Brandon Meredith found himself on the brink of a significant life transition, contemplating a future beyond his 20-year military career. Stationed near Fort Liberty, N.C., Meredith had already secured his commercial driver’s license from Fayetteville Technical Community College. With five deployments, including a combat mission in Afghanistan in 2012 that earned him a valor medal, Meredith and his wife, Dani, had chosen the trucking industry as the path for his post-military career.
On Dec. 15, at the American Trucking Associations headquarters, Meredith was presented with the keys to a brand-new silver Kenworth T680 Signature Edition truck. This honor was part of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation’s Hiring Our Heroes initiative, in collaboration with Fastport and Kenworth Truck Co. The T680 was equipped with a 76-inch sleeper, a 455-horsepower Paccar MX-13 engine, and a Paccar TX-12 automatic transmission. This marked the eighth year of the initiative, which aims to support military veterans in transitioning to civilian employment.
Meredith, now a tank truck driver at Slay Transportation in St. Louis, plans to foster an owner-operator relationship with the company. In addition to the truck, he was awarded a full tuition scholarship to National University. Meredith intends to use this opportunity to complete his college education, having transferred his GI Bill benefits to his daughters.
“I’m amazed at how this could happen. It’s overwhelming and unbelievable. This changes my entire life, and I can’t wait to pay it forward and help the next veteran,” Meredith said.
At the event, four other outstanding drivers were recognized as finalists, each receiving cash prizes. The first runner-up, Marine Corps Master Sgt. Ondrae Meyers (CRST The Transportation Solution), was awarded $10,000. The winners of $5,000 each were retired Marine Corps Master Sgt. LaTravis Wilcox (Prime Inc.), retired Army Chief Warrant Officer Todd Kraus (Werner Enterprises), and retired Army Sgt. Jessica White (Stevens Transport).
Fastport, a Boston-based technology company specializing in workforce development and veterans hiring initiatives, has been instrumental in training and placing numerous veterans in transportation-related jobs through the Chamber’s program. The number of candidates for this award has steadily grown, reaching 74 this year, a significant increase from 55 candidates in the previous year. As the ceremony approached, Brandon Meredith and his wife couldn’t help but envision the possibilities, pondering the impact of his potential win announced by Master of Ceremonies and Medal of Honor Recipient retired Staff Sgt. Clinton Romesha.
“It’s really about being able to celebrate the community and showcase what our military community is doing, both in service and after they hang up their uniforms,” said Hiring Our Heroes President Eric Eversole. “To see what the veterans are doing every day for the trucking industry and how they give back to our communities and how they help move America forward is really something. The trucking, logistics and transportation industry is an industry that is very forward-thinking. When we look at the workforce of the future and the technology that the future workforce will use, the Kenworth T680 is really a flashing billboard of what this industry looks like in the future, and highlighting those technologies that show the industry is committed to safety and technology will help us recruit the next generation of drivers.”
Source: Transport Topics
