Ryder System Inc. has surpassed its goal to hire 1,000 military veterans by the end of 2013. The company beat its goal by the end of February, a full 10 months ahead of schedule. 

Ryder made its pledge in November 2011 as part of the company’s involvement in Hiring Our Heroes, a program of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation focused on enhancing collaboration between the public and private sectors to help veterans and military spouses find meaningful employment.

The more than 1,000 former military service men and women are working for Ryder in a variety of roles including as truck drivers, diesel mechanics, warehouse employees, and other professional positions. Since joining Hiring Our Heroes in November 2011, Ryder has increased the percentage of veterans in its almost 23,000 employee U.S. workforce from 8% to 10%. 

The company has also doubled the amount of recently-separated veterans hired in that same time period.

Ryder has long benefited from hiring military veterans throughout its history.  Since stepping up its recruiting effort with the Hiring Our Heroes program, the company has implemented a number of new initiatives.
• Launching a new military recruiting website at www.ryder.com/military to help veterans easily match their military skills with open positions at Ryder.
• Attending more than 50 military career fairs hosted by the U.S. Chamber’s Hiring Our Heroes program.
• Establishing a 20-plus member veteran hiring task force.
• Focusing efforts on customizing on-boarding, training, and development practices to better meet the needs of veterans transitioning to civilian jobs.

The company currently has more than 800 job openings across all states in the U.S. 

To find and apply for jobs at Ryder, visit the company’s online career site at www.ryder.jobs.