Truck driving students driven to succeed

As the baby-boomer generation gets older, there aren’t as many young truck drivers replacing the ones who are retiring.

For those who have clean driving records and don’t mind long days or weeks on the road, the future is looking bright.

Sure, driving a truck can be hectic, stressful and challenging — especially when the weather is bad or traffic is heavy.

But those who have spent their lives doing it point out the rewards. Every day can be an adventure, it can be good to have some time by yourself, and it is a great way to see the country and meet other people.

As the economy picks up and freight volumes do, too, the result is a projected shortage of truck drivers. Some places already are experiencing it.

Northeast Community College in Norfolk offers a six-week course that is designed to make graduates employable for most companies.

Ed Lewis, who spent more than 20 years driving truck before becoming an instructor, said there is no substitute for experience when it comes to truck driving.

Nevertheless, many companies like to hire the college’s graduates and give them company-specific training or build their experience to fill needs, Lewis said.

Brian Slinker of Cheyenne, Wyo., is among the students who is nearing completing in one of the six-week programs.

Slinker said he was attracted to truck driving because of the shortage of drivers around Cheyenne, and the fact that it provides long-term job security.

Although there are driving schools around Cheyenne, they aren’t certified by the Professional Truck Driver Institute.

“It’s highly recognized in the industry,” Slinker said of the certification that Northeast possesses. “Not too many places are there where you can complete a six-week course and look at good, professional starting wages.”

Among the employers that have expressed interest in Slinker after graduation are FedEx, Sapp Brothers and Dyno Mobile.

Lyle Kathol, dean of applied technology at Northeast, said there will be nearly 195,000 new jobs for truck drivers across the U.S. by 2020.

Retirements affect the demand, but most freight in the central U.S. is delivered by truck, so the economy does make a difference, too.

Fuel prices have stabilized, and the demand for qualified truck drivers is great, he said.

“All of the truck driving jobs require a Commercial Driver’s License, and with the new DMV regulations, it is more important than ever for drivers to have training through a Professional Truck Driving school such as the program that Northeast offers,” Kathol said.

“Many folks don’t realize that pickups with large trailers fall under the regulations as well if the gross vehicle weight exceeds 26,000 pounds,” he said

Janette Miller of Sholes was a stay-at-home mother. She decided to complete the program so that she and her husband, Eric, will be able to be a team and go on long drives together.

“We’ll get to see all the Lower 48,” she said.

Miller said her parents were truck drivers, and she has siblings who make their living the same way.

Dallas Lauridsen of O’Neill is training for hauling pigs and then eventually cattle.

Lauridsen said he wants to become a truck driver because it should be a job with a good future.

Instructor Lewis said truck driving isn’t for everyone. Even those who seem perfectly suited for it may find out it isn’t for them.

There was once a student who was a backhoe operator who was looking to switch careers. Although he completed the course, the driving and exposure were enough for him to learn that he didn’t want to switch careers after all, Lewis said.

Nevertheless, it also made him more valuable to his employer as he was certified to pull a trailer so he could haul his backhoe to and from the job site. It no longer took a truck driver to do it, Lewis said.