Dart Transit Company

100 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE VOLUME 9, ISSUE 12 What Dart can proactively do is support the labor shortage by recruiting and especially training. In fact, the company started its own driving schools that include full-time staff and comprehensive paid job training so drivers with no experience can obtain their CDL (Commercial driver’s license) The new training course takes about seven weeks to complete and is designed to be “no cost” to the trainees. These courses were first established in September 2022, meaning the first few classes of drivers were beginning their employment with Dart by December. Finding maintenance staff is slightly more difficult, but Dart has been working to improve pay for these skilled professionals as a recruiting tool. “Our drivers and other employees are really our most important partners, whether they are employed or contracted,” Cafarelli relays. “We invest a lot of time and money to help them be successful.” Cafarelli credits the Dart team that oversees driver relations with helping the entire company be more responsive in supporting driver needs. New trucks and additional in-cab technologies will help make the job of its drivers easier in the coming years. These efforts also help in recruiting drivers, along with other facility upgrades in Dart’s Chicago Service Center and in hubs in Eagan, MN., and Lancaster, TX. “We have a good network of terminals and service centers to really help our team,” Cafarelli notes. Dart’s commitment to investing in the business and excellent service continues to pay back- Dart was recently named “2021 Provider of the Year ” by Andersen Windows. Dart also has gained recognition for having the ability to haul more weight than other carriers, reducing the company’s carbon footprint. Together, these investments and awards have led to improvements in safety that are recognized by peers, Cafarelli says. Dart has one of the industry’s best safety records based DART TRANSI T COMPANY