Pioneer Landscape Centers Tackles Nationwide Driver Shortage with Proprietary Commercial Driving School

Ray Byrd (Photo: Business Wire)

HIGHLANDS RANCH, Colo., July 21, 2023, (VSNewsNetwork.com) - Amid a national trucker shortage that has left many companies struggling to meet delivery needs, Pioneer Landscape Centers is charting its own course. The firm, a supplier of landscape and hardscape materials in the western U.S., has established its own commercial driver’s license (CDL) school for current employees, resulting in nearly two dozen graduates to date. Pioneer plans to maintain this initiative indefinitely to continue mitigating the impact of the driver shortage.

Ray Byrd, Vice President of Transportation and Distribution for Pioneer, shed light on the seriousness of the ongoing shortage. He cited predictions that the current deficit of 64,000 drivers will escalate to 82,000 in the next year, ultimately reaching 160,000 by 2028. “This in-house CDL program allows us to proactively address our need for drivers,” said Byrd.

The Pioneer CDL program is structured similarly to private trucking schools, offering about 200 hours of instruction as well as on-road training and practice on state-approved CDL course simulations. Unlike private schools, however, Pioneer funds the course for selected employees during the company's off-peak season.

The program appears to offer a mutually beneficial solution for the company and its employees. As Pioneer President Kevin Guzior explained, the initiative allows employees to potentially boost their salaries significantly, while the company gains a pool of loyal drivers. “While other companies face an 80 percent or higher turnover in their driving teams, we’ve only lost 10 percent of those who attended our CDL school in the past year," Guzior said.

Learn more about Pioneer Landscape Centers at www.pioneerco.com.

Source: Pioneer Landscape Centers via Business Wire