VECTR puts veterans on the open road

Steve Lockhart served in the Air Force for 21 years loading bombs, and after he retired he went into truck driving.

As it turns out, there are a lot of similarities between military service and driving a big rig across the open roads of America.

“Veterans make good truck drivers because we are used to hurry up and wait,” said Lockhart, an instructor with the truck driving program located at the Georgia Veterans Education Career Transition Resource Center, or VECTR, in Warner Robins. “To be a good truck driver you’ve got to be disciplined. You’ve got to make deliveries on time and do what needs to be done.”

VECTR celebrated its one year anniversary with an open house Wednesday. Truck driving has been one of the center’s most popular programs in its first year, said Patricia Ross, the center director and a retired Air Force colonel. She estimated 100 veterans have gone through the 8-week truck driving school in the center’s first year.

“A lot of veterans want to be their own boss after they leave military service and truck driving provides them that opportunity,” she said.

Brett Cummings, chairman of the truck driving program, said six active-duty airmen at Robins Air Force Base recently went through the school and got their licenses in preparation for life outside of the military.

During the open house, Lockhart took a 2007 Freightliner Century out for a short spin, towing a 53-foot trailer, and talked about the career that he says pays well, has plenty of vacancies and is very demanding.

One of the drawbacks of truck driving is that it requires a lot of time away from home, especially for beginners who typically can’t get highly sought local driving jobs. But being away from family is something else veterans know about.

The upside is that it pays well. A rookie driver should make around $35,000 the first year and maybe more, Lockhart said. He had one student who made $80,000 in his second year of driving.

“It can be a good life,” he said. “Is it hard? Yes, it’s hard. It’s work. You’ve got to be able to do what needs to be done.”

The VECTR Center is operated by Central Georgia Technical College and serves veterans throughout the state. The truck driving school used to be at the college’s main campus but was moved to VECTR, where it serves both veterans and civilians.

Other programs offered at VECTR include information technology, welding and heating and air conditioning repair. It is billed as a “one-stop shop” for veterans and active duty military members looking to make the transition to civilian life. In addition to education, it also connects veterans with local services that can help them with personal needs.

Jerome Stephens, president of Rebuilding Together in Warner Robins, said VECTR has referred several veterans to the organization who needed help repairing their homes.

Master Sgt. Brian Arrington, who works in the 78th Security Forces at Robins, first heard about VECTR after transferring to the base four months ago. He was seeking help getting into a college to pursue a master’s degree. He knew little about VECTR but visited and Ross gave him a tour. He said the center has helped not only him but his wife and his daughter by making them aware of benefits and programs available to military families in Georgia.

He plans to start at Mercer University next year to get his master’s. He has served 18 years all over the world and said he has never seen a place that had anything like VECTR to help veterans.

“This surpasses every single educational office that every base has by light years,” he said. “You will never see this anywhere else.”

This story was originally published August 2, 2017 at 3:05 PM with the headline "VECTR puts veterans on the open road."