Employer of the Week: Ryder

Our Employer of the Week series features one company each week that has made a commitment to hiring and supporting veterans. This week’s employer is Ryder.

In addition to one of North America's largest fleets of trucks, Ryder also offers critical fleet management and transportation and supply chain solutions for over 50,000 customers. Ryder has been operating for over 85 years while staying true to its values — values that veterans can get behind. 

"When you think about veterans and you think about transitioning, the skills are there," said Todd Skiles, a Desert Storm veteran and 30-plus year Ryder employee. "Veterans have the skills that we need in many different fields. But I also think it's important that veterans find the right culture that values the same things that they value. That's where Ryder becomes a really great choice for military people and veterans." 

In addition to a value-centric culture, Ryder offers a wide range of transition programs for veterans — some free of charge. 

In November 2011, Ryder partnered with Hiring Our Heroes to try and reduce the veteran unemployment rate which was between 14 and 17 percent at the time. Through this partnership, Ryder and the other participating companies aimed to hire 100,000. Ryder has contributed 8,949 hires to that goal. 

"We're also highly involved in career summits where we go in and conduct job fairs for veterans and we do on-base programs as well," said Mike Raley, recruiting manager for veteran and military programs at Ryder. 

Many of Ryder's employees have participated in the Ryder's Pathway Home program. The 12-week technician training course gives participating soldiers hands-on diesel technician training during their final days of service. Service members who complete the program are offered employment. 

"We give it free of charge to the soldier," Raley said. "It doesn't cost them anything. If they successfully complete that training, they're given an offer of employment at the end."

Ryder also offers a buddy program that pairs incoming veteran employees with veterans already working at Ryder to help them transition as smoothly as possible. 

"We're very proud of our efforts and happy to have the opportunity to be able to bring these veterans into our company and make them part of the family," Raley said.

To learn more about Ryder and the career opportunities at the company, click here. 

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