Coca-Cola UNITED

Coca-Cola UNITED Partners with The Coca-Cola Company and Technical College System of Georgia to Empower the Next Generation of Commercial Truck Drivers

Cassandra Mickens
Coca-Cola UNITED offers drivers competitive compensation and benefits, CDL program reimbursement and opportunities to return home each night.

To help combat the ongoing commercial truck driver shortage, Coca-Cola UNITED is raising awareness of the Technical College System of Georgia (TCSG)’s Commercial Truck Driving Program and career opportunities with Coca-Cola UNITED in Georgia. In partnership with The Coca-Cola Company, Coca-Cola UNITED has announced “Delivering the Future: The Coca-Cola System & Technical College System of Georgia Truck Tour.” 

“The Coca-Cola truck will make stops in five communities across the state, including Savannah, Athens, Vidalia, Macon and Thomasville,” said Gianetta Jones, Vice President and Chief People Officer, Coca-Cola UNITED. “In Georgia, we’re fortunate to be able to hire drivers from TCSG’s world-class Commercial Truck Driving Program. Our goal is to raise awareness of the program and trucking industry opportunities available right in our home state, most specifically the over 80 open commercial driving opportunities currently available with Coca-Cola UNITED.”  

The free “Delivering the Future: The Coca-Cola System & Technical College System of Georgia Truck Tour” will offer entertainment, refreshments and activities along with the opportunity to learn about Coca-Cola UNITED job opportunities and TCSG’s Commercial Truck Driving Program enrollment process. Individuals who are interested in earning their CDL, or have their CDL and would like to learn more about Coca-Cola UNITED, are encouraged to visit a tour stop in their community.  

Tour dates and locations: 

To learn more about the tour, visit DeliveringTheFutureGA.com. 

The Coca-Cola Company has also committed a $1 million donation to the TCSG Foundation to support TCSG’s Commercial Truck Driving Program trainers and faculty. By creating 11 new full-time instructor roles and two part-time instructor roles, the investment supports TCSG’s greatest need, recruiting and retaining talented trainers. In addition, the donation supplements the $8.32 million of support from the Governor’s Emergency Education Relief Fund (GEER II) that will provide facility upgrades, with the goal of doubling enrollment of commercial drivers across Georgia from 1,705 to 3,410 in 2023. Finally, this investment aims to ensure more drivers are in the pipeline to help fill trucking industry jobs with Coca-Cola UNITED and other businesses across the state.  

“We are grateful for our partnership with The Coca-Cola Company and Coca-Cola UNITED and look forward to leveraging this investment to attract more best-in-class trainers who are the foundation of our program,” said Greg Dozier, Commissioner, Technical College System of Georgia. “With the expansion of the program, this investment will allow us to prepare more commercial truck drivers to enter the industry, helping to ensure the continued transport of goods we rely on across the state.” 

Businesses and consumers rely on Georgia’s trucking industry, which moves more than 435 million tons of goods across the state each year as the logistics and transportation hub of the Southeast (Georgia Department of Transportation, 2019). Today, this industry is facing challenges, having lost six percent of its workers nationally since the COVID-19 pandemic began, compounding an existing driver shortage that is expected to top 160,000 by 2028 (American Trucking Associations, 2019).  

“As residents and businesses across the state work to recover from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is more important than ever to invest in our communities and provide opportunities that will improve the lives of our fellow Georgians,” said Alfredo Rivera, President of The Coca-Cola Company’s North America operating unit. “We are proud of our Georgia roots and will continue to do our part to keep Georgia strong.” 

Coca-Cola UNITED has generated a positive economic impact in Georgia since 1916. Today, with more than 20 facilities across the state employing more than 3,300 Georgians, Coca-Cola UNITED provides beverages for Georgia businesses that offer daily refreshment for the state’s 10.5 million residents.