April 2, 2007
MiBiz
By Karen Gentry

MUSKEGON — Lakeshore area workers who are out of work often desire fast retraining to land good paying jobs. That’s where Muskegon Community College’s new truck driving school comes in. MCC contracted with Peoria-based CDL Training Services Inc. to run the program. The school offers 180 hours of training that leads to a CDL (commercial driver’s license) Class A certification that qualifies graduates to drive 53-footers — the big rigs — according to program director Tom O’Brien.

"The college explored the possibilities of assisting people in career training that didn’t take a long time," said O’Brien, director of MCC’s Lakeshore Business and Industrial Service Center. Speed is only one factor on the minds of students. While they want a new career, they don’t want to earn less money than they made in their old jobs. For the most part, all of those missions have been accomplished.

Since the program started in July 2006, 60 people have graduated from the truck driving school and all who want jobs have found positions with national, state or local companies. Even better, O’Brien said graduates have been placed in jobs that pay $30,000–$50,000. The future looks bright for graduates because the job market for truck drivers is expected to increase 8 percent a year until the year 2014, O’Brien said.

"This (program) is very much needed for the lakeshore economy and what we’ve been faced with here. There are so many needy people here looking for good paying jobs," said Chuck Mulder, CDL coordinator.

"Since we started middle of last year, it has grown beyond our expectations," Mulder said. The school’s popularity necessitated the hiring of a third trainer. The school offers a five-week day class as well as a 9.5-week evening class. Students test their truck driving mettle on three truck trailers housed at the north side of MCC’s campus. A lot of personal attention can be given to people in the program because there is one trainer for every four students.

O’Brien said the truck driving school includes 20 hours more training than other CDL programs. Besides the basics of handling a large rig, students learn CPR and first aid, and they take a five-hour psychology course that delves into issues like being away from home for long periods of time, handling relationships, managing a lifestyle on the road and handling frustration that can lead to road rage.

"We really stress the quality of the training and want to make sure a student walks out the door and has the necessary tools to be an excellent driver," O’Brien told MiBiz. The demographics of students in the truck driving school have run the gamut from young people to middle-aged men and women, as well as to husband and wife teams.

Many students qualify for financial aid to cover the $3,955 tuition cost. Part of Mulder’s job is to educate prospective students about the available federal grants, scholarships and student loans. Some students snare grants from state or federal programs for displaced workers. Because of the promising job market for truck driving, the school is in it for the long haul.

"This is not a flash in the pan. This is a dedicated program," O’Brien said.

COPYRIGHT 2004. MIBIZ NETWORK.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

This article appeared in the April 2, 2007 issue of MiBiz, read by upper management executives in West and Southwest Michigan. Print subscriptions are free to qualified individuals who do business in West and Southwest Michigan. For further information about MiBiz Network, visit www.mibiz.com.