Two seemingly separate decisions by Love’s Travel Stops — one publicly announced, the other revealed through social media chatter — together illustrate steps the company is taking to deal with a seemingly relentless tight job market.
The operator of truck stops announced on Monday “tuition-free education and skill development” in a program called Fuel Your Growth.
Meanwhile, a spokeswoman for Love’s confirmed social media reports that the company is “adjusting its overnight operating hours” at some facilities.
The decision to make the changes in operating hours, the spokeswoman said, will be aimed at “[optimizing] technician availability during peak hours.”
Both Love’s Truck Care and Speedco locations are affected by the change, according to Love’s. (Speedco is fully owned by Love’s but operates separately.)
But the spokeswoman added that most of the 268 affected locations are near a Love’s Truck Care or Speedco location that will continue with 24-hour operations, “including emergency roadside service coverage, so professional drivers will still have access to services during their greatest time of need.”
The proximity to a Love’s or Speedco that will continue to operate full time will determine the cutback in hours at the facilities undergoing a reduction. (Love’s noted that hours-of-operation information can be found on its website.)
According to social media postings, stores with adjusted hours were notified of the change in status on Friday. Changes have begun already, the spokeswoman said, and will be in place by the end of this month.
Love’s this year has opened two new travel stops and reopened one that a spokeswoman said was remodeled under the Strategic Remodel Initiative. Five new Speedco locations have been opened this year as well.
There are four new stores and two truck washes planned for opening this year. The spokeswoman added that no openings have been slowed by an inability to secure adequate staffing.
Fuel Your Growth is being offered through a company called Guild, which describes itself as “the leader in opportunity creation for America’s workforce.”
“When we make the decision to hire someone, we intend to support them from the day they are hired until they retire,” Les Thompson, chief human resources officer of Love’s, said in a prepared statement. “By investing in the growth of Love’s talented team, we meet them where they are in their learning and development journey while eliminating prohibitive cost barriers.
The offerings in 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 schooling, skill building and career mapping.”
Accessing the services of Fuel Your Growth will be available to employees after approximately 30 days of employment, Love’s said.
Love’s listed some of the services available under Fuel Your Growth as completion of a high school degree, 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.
The Love’s spokeswoman said there are few limits on how many training opportunities an employee can pursue. “In most cases, team members are permitted to participate in one Love’s-sponsored program at a time; however, there are a few exceptions,” she said in an email. “Employees can enroll in a double major; a major and minor within an approved field of study; or an English language learning program in Guild’s certified Learning Marketplace in parallel with another program.”
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