The men and women who serve our country make big sacrifices for the freedoms we enjoy. At Averitt, we believe that every veteran deserves to work with a company that values their experience and the unique skills they bring to the table. We're honored to be recognized as a top military-friendly employer. Whether you're current or former military, or whether your last day serving was yesterday or a decade ago, there's a place for you on our team.
In 2016, we boldly pledged to hire 1,200 more veteran driver associates by 2020. This is in addition to the hundreds of veterans who already work with us as Averitt associates and as members of our executive leadership team. We knew it was a big goal, but we believe strongly in supporting our veterans.
Not only did we achieve this, but we did it early. We're so excited to tell you that our 1,200th veteran hire completed our orientation class on July 9, 2019. That's nearly six months earlier than planned, thanks to the hard work of our recruiters, our driver associates who continually share about the benefits of working with us, and especially our many veteran associates who see the value in what we do.
We've proudly hired drivers from all branches of the military - Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, Marines, National Guard and the Navy. If you're a military veteran and are considering your options for what to do next, a career with Averitt may be exactly what you need. If you already have your CDL-A from the military or are working toward your CDL-A with one of our approved driving schools, you can start driving for us with as little as 1-6 weeks of training. Your qualifying military experience could also make you eligible for a waiver to apply for a CDL without skills testing. If you don't have a CDL, we can help you find a school and offer a $4,800 tuition assistance reimbursement.
You'll also be joining people like Sergeant Tim Barnes, who served in the U.S. Army for six years and is a proud fourth generation military veteran. Today, he works as a security coordinator for all our facilities to help keep our associates safe. Sergeant Pete Ziegler of the U.S. Marines uses his experiences from numerous missions around the world to serve Averitt and our customers as our director of Final Mile services. There's also Roger Simmons, who found the skills he picked up as a Navy recruiter made for an easy transition to our team as a selection coordinator. He's able to find qualified drivers who meet our high standards just like he did with the U.S. Navy.
Ready to take the next step in a new career? We'd love to talk to you about our military veteran truck driver opportunities today.