Two seemingly separate decisions by Love’s Travel Stops — one announced publicly, the other revealed through social media chatter — together illustrate the steps the company is taking to address a seemingly unrelentingly tight labor market.
The truck stop operator on Monday announced “tuition-free training and skills development” in a program called Fuel Your Growth.
Meanwhile, a spokeswoman for Love’s confirmed reports on social media that the company is “adjusting its nighttime hours” at some locations.
The decision to make the changes to the operating hours, the spokeswoman said, will aim to “[optimizing] technician availability during peak hours.”
Both Love’s Truck Care and Speedco are affected by the change, according to Love’s. (Speedco is wholly owned by Love’s, but operates separately.)
However, the spokeswoman added that most of the 268 affected locations are near a Love’s Truck Care or Speedco location which will continue with 24-hour operations, “including roadside emergency coverage, so professional drivers will still have access to services during the longest period I need.”
Proximity to a Love’s or Speedco that will continue to operate full time will determine the reduction in hours at the facilities subject to reduction. (Love’s noted that information on hours of operation can be found on her website.)
According to social media posts, stores with adjusted hours were notified of the status change on Friday. The changes have already begun, the spokeswoman said, and will take effect by the end of this month.
Love’s this year opened two new travel stations and reopened one that a spokeswoman said was renovated as part of its Strategic Remodeling Initiative. Five new Speedco locations opened this year as well.
There are four new stores and two truck washes scheduled to open this year. The spokeswoman added that no openings have been delayed due to an inability to secure sufficient staff.
Fuel Your Growth is offered through a company called Guildwhich bills itself as “the leader in creating opportunity for America’s workforce.”
“When we make the decision to hire someone, we intend to support them from the day they’re hired until they retire,” Les Thompson, chief human resources officer at Love’s, said in a prepared statement. “By investing in the development of Love’s talented team, we meet them where they are on their learning and growth journey, while removing prohibitive cost barriers.
The offerings at Fuel Your Growth are separate from existing training programs such as learning to be a diesel mechanic. Instead, the spokeswoman said, the program will focus on “more traditional education, skills development and career mapping.”
Access to Fuel Your Growth’s services will be available to employees after about 30 days of employment, Love’s said.
Love’s listed some of the services available at Fuel Your Growth as completing a high school diploma, undergraduate degree programs, obtaining various certifications and “language learning classes.” Career coaching is also available.
Love’s continues to offer a tuition assistance program called Learning with Love’s in conjunction with the Oklahoma City Community Foundation.
Love’s spokeswoman said there are few limits to how many training opportunities an employee can pursue. “In most cases, team members are allowed to participate in one Love-sponsored program at a time. However, there are a few exceptions,” he said in an email. “Employees can enroll in a dual major. a major and minor in an approved field of study; or an English language learning program on the Guild’s certified Learning Marketplace alongside another program.”
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