R&R Trucking has reached a multi-year agreement with the U.S. Army post at Fort Knox, Ky., to assist soldiers in obtaining a commercial driver’s license.

The Joplin, Mo.-based fleet will bring truck driver training to the base at no monetary cost to the soldier. After completion of a five-week CDL training program, a soldier will be offered employment at R&R.

“We are proud to help bring CDL training directly to the Fort Knox base”, said R&R CEO Phil Nelson, "and believe we lead the way in what our industry has committed to do.”

The Fort Knox inititative is an addition to the Army’s Career Skills Program, which was launched nationally in 2015 in cooperation with the Soldier for Life Transition Assitance Program. The CSP provides credentialing, training, apprenticeships and internships to active duty service members who will be leaving the service.

Its goal is to provide opportunities to service men and women as they prepare to enter civilian life. The program is open to all service members, but soldiers have priority.

R&R is a large trucking company that specializes in the transport of sensitive cargo and transports much of its sensitive cargo for the department of defense. Because the DOD requires background checks for drivers moving sensitive cargo, the company says soldiers make an ideal candidate for the company since they already have undergone the background check.

“Background checks and the clearance process can be very cumbersome and time consuming for the vast majority of truck drivers”, said Vonda Cooper, vice president operations for R&R. “Soldiers signing up for the Fort Knox CDL training already completed the clearance process. That gives them a distinct competitive edge over most other truck drivers in the industry.”

For more information on the program, visit R&R’s website.