Press Release
DB Schenker U.S. Land Transport division, formerly USA Truck, has received the prestigious 2023 Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award. The honor marks the first-ever Freedom Award for the organization.
A contingent of leadership and staff from DB Schenker received the award on behalf of the company in late August at the Pentagon in Washington, D.C.
“We are truly honored to be recognized by the Department of Defense with the prestigious Freedom Award,” said Joe Jaska, DB Schenker EVP, Land Transport, Region Americas. “We take pride in our programs that help create avenues for veterans and reservists to bring their talents to civilian careers. We are a stronger company because of the skills, capabilities, and unique perspectives they bring to our team. A huge thank you goes out to our military recruiting department for spearheading our work
with military personnel.”
“We take pride in our programs that help create avenues for veterans and reservists to bring their talents to civilian careers. We are a stronger company because of the skills, capabilities, and unique perspectives they bring to our team.”
Issued by the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR), the Freedom Award began in 1996 and has only 340 honorees to date. The Freedom Award was created to recognize employers supporting their National Guard and Reserve employees. It is the highest employer recognition award given by the Department of Defense.
DB Schenker has a proud legacy of hiring and supporting veterans. It is among the 15 employers in the United States to receive recognition this year, and one of just two trucking companies to receive the prestigious Freedom Award. Before USA Truck became a part of the DB Schenker family, it was poised to be the fifth Arkansas-based company to receive the Freedom Award in its 27-year history.
“We have been a significant employer of Veterans and Reservists for many years now,” said George Henry, DB Schenker Chief Operating Officer, U.S. Land. “We are proud to support our military families who have selflessly sacrificed to defend our nation’s freedom, and we believe that this is the least we can do. It is incredibly humbling to be recognized with this elite award for all DB Schenker employees who continuously strive to lead the experience for our veterans and reservists. We thank the ESGR for the recognition and look forward to many more years supporting their mission.”
The 2023 recipients were selected from nearly 1,900 nominations, including private and public sector employers nominated by a National Guard or Reserve Component employee employed in their organization. The selected employers came from the 50 states, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam-CNMI, and the District of Columbia.
The DB Schenker military recruiting program helped make the Freedom Award possible. The program is headed by Carroll Davidson and William Geoghagan. As U.S. Army veterans, they are dedicated and passionate about facilitating service members entering the transportation industry.
DB Schenker military program focuses on service members transitioning from active-duty status and recognizes service members’ real-world experience. The company has a Veteran Experience Program (VXP) within its military program, where transitioning, qualified personnel can use a Military Skills Waiver and bypass training.
“Citizens and businesses alike can never do enough to support our reservists and veterans,” stated David Buss, DB Schenker CEO of North America. “USAT has a great record of hiring these valued members of the community that have sacrificed for the betterment of all of us. The leadership at DB Schenker USA is working diligently to expand the USAT recruiting program to our Airfreight, Ocean Freight, and Contract Logistics Business Units. We look forward to the continued partnership with The
Department of Defense.”
To learn more about ESGR, a Defense Personnel and Family Support Office program,
visit www.ESGR.mil.
