eNewsletter Vol 10 No 4 August, 2022
Supply-Chain Problems? Teenage Truckers to the Rescue! The New Yorker by Oliver Whang, May 23, 2022 Mr. Forry’s driver’s-ed class, in Pennsylvania, is training eighteen-year-olds to drive eighteen-wheelers as Congress lowers the minimum age for driving a big rig across state lines, in an attempt to ease the country’s logistical woes. Shortly after sunrise on a recent Tuesday, seven students, all guys, gathered in front of a twenty-six-footlong box truck in the parking lot of Northeastern High School in Manchester, Pennsylvania. Chad Forry, a driver’s-ed teacher, popped the hood, exposing the engine—a mess of metal pipes and plastic wells. Forry pulled out the oil dipstick and waved it in the air. He turned to his students and said, “Trucks are not exactly like cars.” Four years ago, Forry got his commercial driver’s license and started a truck-driving class at Northeastern High. He wanted to teach “real skills, transferable skills that students can take to the workplace.” There are around a hundred thousand biologists in the country; there are three and a half million truck drivers. For the past couple of years, groups like the American Trucking Associations have been making the argument that a national shortage of drivers has amplified supply-chain problems. In January, Congress announced the start of an apprenticeship program that will allow some eighteen-to-twenty-year-olds to drive trucks across state lines. (Currently, you have to be twenty-one to do so.) Critics have objected that teens driving eighteenwheelers will make roads more dangerous. Chris Rotondo, of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, disagrees. “For a hundred years, we’ve left this whole generation of kids out there who can fight our wars but can’t drive a truck when they come back,” he said. The kids in Forry’s class were largely oblivious of the new rule. Each had some trucking aspiration— agriculture, diesel mechanics, travel—but the most immediate goal was, as one student put it, to “make it through the morning.” On the day’s parking-lot agenda: how to get in and out of the vehicle safely. “I can’t stress enough how many people take a step out, and it’s icy, and then, whoop,” Forry said. “One step, three points of contact,” Forry muttered, as a student climbed into the driver’s seat. “I know it’s a simple thing, it’s boring, but if you do the simple things you’ll get work. They have awards for safe driving.” Students wouldn’t be allowed to drive the truck until the end of the semester. A general tip: avoid honking the horn. (“Company’s gonna get a call: ‘This driver scared me with his horn and tailgated me.’ ”) A few years ago, with help from the Pennsylvania Motor Truck Association, Forry raised money to buy a Virage VS600M, a truck simulator. It now sits in the back of his classroom: a bucket seat on a small stage, surrounded by three screens. Among the donors listed on the machine: FedEx Ground, Commonwealth Trailer Parts, Frock Bros Trucking. After the first-period bell rang, some students stuck around and took turns on the VS600M. Continued on page 7.
President’s Message John Rojas, President, NAPFTDS
Hello NAPFTDS Members:
I hope everyone is having a nice summer. It has been a hot one down here in Texas. I look forward to the Regionals in our beautiful Northern States in a couple of months. In several conversations with our members, I am hearing good news about enrollments pretty much coast to coast. That is great news for everyone and I hope your administrations are taking note and providing you as much assistance as possible to help your program grow. Continuing Education courses are carrying colleges across the country for providing training for a much-needed skilled workforce. I have also heard that many of our schools have started CDL - B programs, especially offering school bus and passenger endorsements. I would dare to say the demand for class B is equivalent to A in many parts of the country. I hope to see you all at the regionals, I am planning on trying to attend them all this year. Stay safe and cool my friends.
In This Issue ... Supply Train Problems—Teenage Truckers to the Rescue! • President’s Message • Executive Director Report • Executive Director, Martin Garsee, along with CVTA Board members met with FMCSA acting Administrator Hutcheson • FMCSA Safe Driver Apprenticeship Pilot NOW Accepting Applications • NAPFTDS Committee Happenings • LCTCS— Dual Enrollment Transportation Pathway •
Why so many Wisconsinites have chosen to ‘unretire’ • 2022 Regional Meetings • 2022 Regional Sponsorships • Online Classes Help Women, Adult Learners Land Alabama Trucking Jobs • 18 year old student gets CDL before graduating High School • Board of Directors • Coming Events •
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Hope everyone had a great summer— as it has been hot in most of the country.
By Martin Garsee
Everyone I have talked to on their programs are doing well. Most of us will soon begin a new fiscal year, hoping that our administration sees the potential that there is a need to increase our program budget. By all predictions in the industry, training providers will be needed to bring more drivers into the industry. This is a great opportunity for years to come for our programs. There is a lot of new technology in the industry, but drivers will be needed for many years. NAPFTDS is looking forward to our regional meetings this fall. This Learning Curve is highlighting the Regional meetings and their information is included as well. NAPFTDS thanks the schools who offered to host this year’s meetings. This is a time to gain information, and just as important, network with people that do the same thing. Gain insight and ideas from our peers. Come and share your expertise and also learn. I was able to attend the TCA Safety and Security meeting in Nashville. It was very informative. The companies that were represented there have a great emphasis on safety. Trucking companies value safety and promote safety. Hundreds of safety directors were there to learn and share. I was asked by several companies about our membership. My goal in attending meetings are to learn and talk to as many people about our Association and get industry involved at our local level. I hope to see many of you at our regional meeting. Please attend if you can. Crissie Moffet has worked hard to secure sponsorship so that food expenses are covered for attendees at our regional meetings. Thanks Crissie Moffet for your hard work. I also attended the CVTA Board meeting as well as a FMCSA meeting in Washington D.C. on Thursday, July 21, 2022. Meeting the new FMCSA Deputy Administrator Robin Hutcheson and the new Executive Director of CVTA, Victoria Slatton. Please see next page for article on specifics.
Coming Events ... •
Region 1 & 2 meeting, January 25-27, 2023, Pima Community College, Tucson, AZ
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Region 3 & 5 meeting, September 27-28-29, 2022, Chippewa Valley Technical College, Eau Claire, WI
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Region 4 meeting, October 19-20-21, 2022, Tulsa Tech/Central Tech, Tulsa/Drumright, OK
Region 6 meeting August 29-30, 2022, Tallahassee Community College, Tallahassee, FL • Region 7 meeting September 22-23, 2022, Community College of Baltimore County, Hunt Valley, MD •
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2023 33th Annual Conference, Asheville, NC, March 27-29, 2023
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Executive Director Martin Garsee, along with CVTA Board members met with FMCSA Acting Administrator Hutcheson On Thursday, July 21, Martin Garsee, NAPFTDS Executive Director and CVTA Board Members met with FMCSA Acting Administrator Rob in Hutcheson. Topics of discussion were: • Accountability: Monitoring of the Training Provider Registry (TPR). There is not verification or auditing currently in place. Also, questionable online theory providers. • Continue to work on state testing delays. • Approve the AAMVA's License skills testing pilot program. FMCSA was very open to our suggestions and are working on these issues. Look for some upgrade in the TPR. FMCSA is making more money available to enhance testing in states through grants. The new testing program is on an Administrator's radar, we hope to hear in the next few months the process of what it will take to implement.
Deputy Administrator Robin Hutcheson and Victoria Slatton, Executive Director of CVTA
NAPFTDS Executive Director, Martin Garsee with Deputy Administrator Robin Hutcheson
Deputy Administrator Robin Hutcheson met with CVTA members on Thursday, July 21, 2022! : Includes Deputy Administrator Robin Hutcheson; Victoria Slatton, Executive Director of CVTA; Sylvester Giustino, Vice President of Federal and State Government Relations; Cindy Atwood, Vice President; Jerome Redmond, Chairman; Stuart Bowman, Secretary/Treasurer; Brad Barber, Immediate Past Chairman; John Diab, Exec Com. Emeritus; Mike Fadner, Associate Rep; Cheryl Freauff, Carrier Rep; Tim McLain, Carrier Rep; Tim Norlin, Carrier Rep; Jill Balleh, Board Member; Danny Bradford, Board Member; Jeff Burkhardt, Board Member; Bruce Busada, CVTA Emeritus; and Martin Garsee, NAPFTDS Rep. Deputy Administrator Robin Hutcheson and Victoria Slatton, Executive Director of CVTA.
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FMCSA Safe Driver Apprenticeship Pilot NOW Accepting Applications The FMCSA is now accepting applications for participation in the SDAP Program. •
This message is intended only for FASTPORT Apprenticeship Associations and Partners. If you would like to share this information with another carrier without a current Registered Apprenticeship Program, share this link with them: o If you are not registered with the U.S. Department of Labor https://www.apprenticeship.gov/90-daytrucking-apprenticeship-challenge or Registered Apprenticeship Program learn how to join.
FMCSA established the Safe Driver Apprenticeship Pilot Program (SDAP). This three-year program will help individuals ages 18, 19, and 20 explore interstate trucking careers and help trucking companies hire and train new drivers through an apprenticeship pilot program. How to Prepare (Please reach out through the links if you don't currently have a Registered Apprenticeship Program.) We are accepting applications for the SDAP Program, we encourage companies to: •
Become familiar with the pilot program requirements by reviewing the Safe Driver Apprenticeship Pilot Program Federal Register Notice; • Review your safety performance data to determine if your company meets the standards. • The application will require a copy of your Employers Acceptance Agreement and your Apprenticeship Rapids ID. Please reach out to Jamie Pace @ FASTPORT to obtain this information prior to applying: jamie.pace@fastport.com Link to application button: https://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/safedriver Link to program FAQs: https://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/safedriverFAQs
Jamie Lynne Pace
Director of Apprenticeship Administration / SME *******************************************
Mission Statement The National Association of Publicly Funded Truck Driving Schools, Inc. is an organization established for the promotion of safety, professionalism and quality education within the transportation industry.
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Committee Happenings …
Carrier-Donnie Tulk, Chair. In our meeting at the conference the committee determined that it would be better to give an email blast of the post card a personal touch; therefore, each member will be emailing the post card out to the companies that recruit from their school who are not current Associate members of NAPFTDS. Conference/Nomination-Martin Garsee, Chair. The committee is working on the 2023 agenda for Asheville, North Carolina. If you have a speaker or topic in mind, email Crissie Moffet, cmoffet@napftds.org and we’ll work on it! So, Save the Date—March 27-29, 2023 at the Crowne Plaza Tennis and Golf Resort. The Dave Nemo Show will be sponsored again by Tenstreet at the Asheville Conference. Education-John Thorpe, Chair. Everyone’s back in the swing of things. Hoping to start the Lunch & Learn sessions again. Please contact Crissie Moffet if you have any ideas for a webinar and we can work on that—fresh ideas are always welcome. 2022 is proving to be an exciting year! Marketing/Social Media-Kelly Carey-Chair. The Marketing committee is a tool for the Association and its members to use when communicating on specific training or industry information. Please remember to like our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/NAPFTDS and our Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/napftds/. The accounts are now linked and posts will appear on both! Stay tuned for timely articles and updates. The redesign of our website is underway. Did you know NAPFTDS now has a LinkedIn page! We are looking to grow our digital presence and reach a larger audience with our mission of education and this is one way we to do so. We are also looking to share your relevant content and help our members reach a larger audience. Please send any content to Marilyn Surber, marilyn.surber@tenstreet.com. Go follow us today to stay connected! https://www.linkedin.com/company/national-association-of-publicly-funded-truck-driving-schools/ If you have suggestions for the marketing committee, or you would like to become a member of the committee please contact Kelly Carey kcarey@worwic.edu or Rob Behnke behnke@fvtc.edu. Membership-Dan Zdrojewski, Chair. There has not been much activity with the summer break in full swing it has been quiet. The Membership Committee continues to process applications as they are received and ‘spread the word’ about NAPFTDS. The value of NAPFTDS is second to none. Many training providers, companies, organizations, and the committee will work with them to entice future members. It is truly an exciting time for NAPFTDS! Regionals-Mary Beth McCollum-Chair. Regions 1 & 2 will be combined, hosted at Pima Community College; Region 3 & 5 will be combined, hosted at Chippewa Valley Technical College; Region 4 will be co-hosted by Tulsa Tech and Central Tech in Oklahoma; Region 6 will be hosted at Tallahassee Community College and Region 7 will be hosted by The Community College of Baltimore County-Hunt Valley. Please look for more information in this newsletter and/or Association News on the website. Regulatory-Jill Schultz-Chair. The regulatory committee informs members of changes in federal regulations or policies that affect truck driver training. Regulatory highlights for June and July 2022 include: •ELDT exemption requests continue. FMCSA continues to receive ELDT-related exemption requests. The requests are coming from schools/training providers, trade-specific organizations/industries, individuals, and state government. These requests range from complete elimination of the requirements to individuals asking for a waiver from the instructor requirements. So far, FMCSA has denied all exemption requests it has received. •Under 21 pilot program. Motor carriers are now able to register to participate in a pilot program that will allow 18to 20-year-old drivers to operate CMVs that require a CDL in interstate commerce. The 3,000 young drivers enrolled in the FMCSA’s Safe Driver Apprenticeship Pilot Program will be required to follow specific requirements related to instruction time, driving skills, and equipment used. Want to be a part of a working committees, please contact Crissie Moffet, cmoffet@napftds.org.
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Supply-Chain Problems? Teenage Truckers to the Rescue! Cont’d from pg 1 At the wheel: Hayden Brothers, a junior, wearing a white Adidas sweatshirt. The simulated truck Brothers was driving had a ten-speed transmission, and he fiddled with the clutch, shifting into first using the floating gearshift next to the seat. A simulated lime-green Audi appeared in his side-view mirror. Beside the VS600M was a computer with two monitors, which controlled the virtual environment. Landon Brothers, Hayden’s twin, stood behind it in a black Adidas sweatshirt. He clicked around in the settings, turning the onscreen clouds darker. He clicked again, and it started raining. A deer appeared alongside the highway. Hayden slowed down a bit. The deer twitched forward, then stopped, and, as the truck was about to pass, it lunged across the road. Hayden slowed down more, and the Audi pulled closer. “It’s pretty realistic,” Hayden said, shifting into a higher gear. (Later, Forry had a student text while at the wheel of the VS600M; the simulator tracked the student’s eye movements and generated statistics indicating that he had made four “line encroachments” and had spent around seventy seconds “driving blind.”) The homeroom bell rang, and Forry took attendance. “Everyone’s hiring,” he said. “There’s such a demand for drivers that they’re willing to go younger. I have companies call me: ‘Do you have a driver? It’s twentysix an hour, all the iced tea you can drink.’ ” He paused and looked around the room. “I tell them, ‘Not yet.’ ” Owen Beshore, a senior, hopped behind the wheel. Forry walked over to the control center and turned down the virtual temperature. “Let’s try to start on an icy hill,” he said. Beshore skidded around a turn, then stopped on an incline. A line of cars pushed up behind him. “O.K., clutch in, move to first, release brake, slow . . .” Forry said. Beshore stalled out. He shifted back to neutral. “Engine off, release brake . . .” he whispered, then continued to silently mouth words as the truck inched up the hill. Published in the print edition of the May 30, 2022, issue, with the headline “Teen Truckers.”
CDL drivers transport feed
from the feed mills to our farms and pigs between farms and to the plant. There’s a place for you at Seaboard Foods. Home every day. Contact: Glenn Rose glenn_rose@seaboardfoods.com
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Media Contact: Tiffany Howard Director of Transportation Industry Initiatives 318-613-0383
LCTCS Announces Dual Enrollment Transportation Pathway BATON ROUGE – The driver shortage, retention challenges and shortage of diesel technicians have been hot topics in workforce training conversations across the nation for the better part of a decade. Combined with the pandemic's additional economic stress, reliance on transportation services further increased the driver shortage from a gap of 60,000 drivers to 160,000 drivers needed by 2030. In light of these challenges, the Louisiana House and Senate passed HCR 69 during the 2022 Legislative Session. The bill calls for the State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education, the state Department of Education, the Louisiana Community and Technical College System (LCTCS), and the Louisiana Workforce Commission to collaborate to establish an industry-based credential offered through dual enrollment for the classroom instruction portion of commercial driver's license training. “This resolution makes Louisiana the first and only state to legislatively call for action to address early training and career engagement of transportation jobs, specifically drivers,” said LCTCS President Dr. Monty Sullivan. “Our hope is to see more support for this kind of training across the nation.” The proposed curriculum was peer-reviewed by the Louisiana Motor Transport Association (LMTA) and a dozen community colleges across the nation with top transportation programs. “We are excited to work with LCTCS on this resolution to do everything possible to ensure that the next generation can access a career in the transportation sector,” said LMTA Executive Director Renee Amar. “Establishing this first-of -its-kind program exposes the next generation of truckers to an industry that can offer them a lasting and robust career while helping to bridge the workforce gap.” The objective of the proposed framework is to allow Louisiana high school students to engage in multiple transportation-related disciplines that may spark the interest of and build the skill level and knowledge of the students who enroll. The framework is intended to: Be delivered as a dual enrollment course that leads to the Certified Logistics Associate credential. Reduce the number of hours a student needs once they enter post-secondary training Reduce the tuition required to complete higher-level credentials such as Diesel Technology and Commercial Driving. Serve as an elective for programs such as Business Administration or IT to support the management careers within transportation. In a 2021 report issued by the American Transportation Research Institute, developing new outreach initiatives targeted toward high school students and young adults was listed as the number one concern. With the launch of this new program, LCTCS is tackling that challenge head on. This resolution marks the second authored by Louisiana State Representative Ken Brass, who serves as Co-Chair of the Transportation Committee of the Louisiana State House of Representatives. “Transportation and mobility build economic stability for families while increasing the local and state economy for future generations,” said Representative Brass. “Trucks move roughly 72.5% of the nation's freight. With a lack of drivers, delivering that freight will be a monumental task. Engaging with the younger generation is the most effective way to garner interest and begin training the next generation of drivers to meet our workforce needs.” Following the voice of local industry in Louisiana, this program will not provide over the road training to high school students. Still, it does prepare students for entering over-the-road training upon high school graduation. “I see this as an excellent entry to the transportation industry,” said Martin Garsee, Director of Transportation Programs at Houston Community College. “The move by FMCSA to go to the younger driver makes this a very valuable asset to any student that can take advantage of this.” The curriculum is designed to support students from all of Louisiana’s community and technical colleges at all levels of education, including adult education students who have not earned a high school diploma. All 12 Louisiana community and technical colleges will have access to these commercial vehicle operation programs and are encouraged to work with local school districts on implementation. 8
Why so many Wisconsinites have chosen to ‘unretire’ In this report, we show you why some people say retirement is not all it is cracked up to be. In fact, people are calling this era The Great Unretirement! OAK CREEK, Wis. — In our Two Americas series, we look at the America you know and the one you might not. In this report, we show you why some people say retirement is not all it is cracked up to be. In fact, people are calling this era The Great Unretirement! We look at why so many older adults are re-imagining the American Dream. "There's a new wave, it's an unretirement, and I'm loving every minute of it," said Robert Harris, MATC trucking student. 67-year-old Harris retired two years ago as an overhead crane operator and factory worker. But retirement for him lasted two months. "I was just sitting around the house all day getting fat, and I just got tired. I thought, 'I gotta get out and do something,'" he said. So Harris decided to go back to school. He quickly discovered he is not alone. "You see people of all age groups come here, you see people with walkers," he said. Richard Ross with ManpowerGroup has heard of the term 'unretirement.'" Absolutely, about 1.7 million retirees returned to work in the last year. I'm one of them. In fact, this is my fourth unretirement," he tells us. Ross, who is 76 years old, works at ManpowerGroup to help remove the stigma of hiring workers over 50. "If you get laid off in this country when you turn 50, AARP studies show it can take up to two years to find another job, and you'll never make the same money again," he said. He says many older adults are also unretiring because of the rising cost of inflation and because they had not properly prepared their budgets for retirement. Harris is counting on opportunities to open up with the great worker shortage after he completes his truck driving program at Milwaukee Area Technical College in Oak Creek and gets his CDL license. "Get out and see the world, see the country, see the countryside, work outside," he said. Because at the end of the day, feeling a sense of purpose in our community has a deeper meaning to all of us, no matter what age. People who are working for Manpower on assignment are eligible for a host of training to upskill: • Full College Tuition Coverage for University of Phoenix Online • 6 to 8 week classes in a specialty area (HR Assistant, Warehouse Team Lead, and more), certificate awarded • On demand course at a time training on our online platform in hundreds of titles and industries • GED program, fully funded See article in its entirety … https://www.tmj4.com/news/national/ two-americas/why-so-many-wisconsinites-have-chosen-to-unretire
By: Julia Fello Posted at 10:09 AM, Jul 12, 2022 and last updated 6:29 PM, Jul 12, 2022
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2022-23 Regional Meetings Region 6 meeting August 29-30, 2022, Tallahassee Community College (TCC). Tallahassee, Florida. Tallahassee Community College (TCC) is hosting the 2022 NAPFTDS Region 6 Meeting August 28th through 30th. This two and half day regional will kick off with a funfilled non-traditional student “Trucks are for Girls” event. This event will be in collaboration with Women in Trucking and Tallahassee’s local Girl Scout Council. The days following will include a presentation from the Florida Trucking Association, an employer panel discussion, highlights of student success initiatives, and various updates and educational best practices. Come prepared to participate in interactive activities that will assist you with meeting the needs of your students and local workforce. TCC looks forward to starting your academic year on the right side of the road. For more information, contact Jessica Griffin at Jessica.Griffin@tcc.fl.edu or cmoffet@napftds.org. Lodging will be at the Hyatt House Tallahassee Capitol—University, 1100 Railroad Ave., Tallahassee, Florida at a rate of $119/night. (lodging deadline: August 7, 2022). This date will be slipping up on us very quickly. So make your reservations. There is a link and a telephone number for lodging on the registration Plus there is a Draft Agenda - Click here •
Region 7 meeting September 22-23, 2022, Community College of Baltimore County, Hunt Valley, MD. Join us on Thursday and Friday, September 22 & 23 for the Region 7 NAPFTDS Regional Conference at CCBC. We will hold the conference at CCBC’s Dundalk campus with a tour to the newly opened CDL range located on the TradePoint Atlantic site. Dinner will be held at Jimmy’s Famous Seafood on Thursday evening. Best Western Plus hotel is located about 5.2 miles from the college campus and has rooms starting at $99.99. We are finalizing the agenda and look forward to seeing everyone at the conference. Registration - Click Here (lodging deadline: September 8, 2022) Draft Agenda - Click Here Region 3 & 5 meeting, September 27-28-29, 2022, Chippewa Valley Technical College, Eau Claire, WI. Registration and Draft agenda coming soon! •
Region 4 meeting, October 19-20-21, 2022, Tulsa Tech/Central Tech, Tulsa/Drumright, OK. This year’s Region 4 meeting is being co-hosted again by Central Tech and Tulsa Tech, October 19 -21, 2022. At this point, The 2nd NAPFTDS Truck Rodeo will be on October 19 at Central Tech. It was a great success last year so we are bringing it back. October 20 will be held at Central Tech with 21st being held at Tulsa Tech. We hope that you all will be in attendance … a good time will be had by all with lots of knowledge and networking. Registration and Draft agenda coming soon! •
• Region 1 & 2 meeting, January 25-27, 2023, Pima Community College, Tucson, Arizona. For Region 1 & 2, will be January 25-27, 2023 date. Pima Community College in Tucson, Arizona is planning on a reception dinner on Wednesday, January 25; with a full day of presentations and networking Thursday, January 26; followed by a half day of the same on Friday, January 27. PimaCommunityCollege
Pima Community College is hoping that everyone will take a ‘warm’ break and join us. Also, the Tucson Gem and Mineral Show time which is the world’s largest gem show. An agenda and registration will be coming out early fall. Hope to see you there! Registration and Draft agenda coming Soon! Check the website, napftds.org … Association News for more information! 10
2022 Regional Sponsorships
SPONSORS … The Association would like to thank you for ‘sharing the love’ with our regional hosts. Our regional meetings are a success because of you! KUDOS to each of you!!! 11
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Online Classes Help Women, Adult Learners Land Alabama Trucking Jobs Students train to be diesel technicians with the prospects of landing trucking jobs in Alabama. (Wallace State Community College) After tailoring courses with the state trucking association, Alabama educators are reaching a different demographic of students who are now training and entering the trucking industry. A Diesel by Distance online project at Wallace State Community College is completing its first full year after last summer’s launch to train diesel technicians. Students can take an on-campus course or the online one containing the theory portion (plus virtual reality headsets for practicing different tasks in preparation for coming to the lab). “We have actually more adult learners and women in this program than ever before,” said Anna Beard, program coordinator at Wallace State’s Center for Career & Workforce Development. “We have been able to reach a new demographic, an older audience looking for a career change. They come to us because it does have that flexibility, and they are able to pursue something while actually working a full-time job.” This Spring 2022 semester, 57 total students (six women and six adult learners) were enrolled compared Beard with Spring 2021’s 26 students, with no women and one adult learner. “Jobs are in very high demand with a huge shortage of technicians. If students are wanting to work while they are in school, they have a job. It’s easy to get a job right now. Most of the companies here start a new technician between $18 and $20 per hour, and that increases as they complete competencies and certifications,” Beard said. Mara Harrison, special assistant to the Chancellor for Education and Workforce Transformation at Alabama Community College System (ACCS), worked closely with Alabama Trucking Association to create an online instructional platform with short video tutorials for commercial driver licenses. Students can take online course sections as often as needed but must pass by 80% to progress. Completion averages 15 hours for the theory portion, with in person behind-the-wheel instruction, Harrison said. Harrison Before online training began in March, on-campus instruction took eight to 10 weeks, precluding most full -time workers. Many women also are signing up. “It’s opening up [CDL training] to people who are really great employees, but didn’t have a way to receive the training because it was supposed to take so much time. Now it’s not a problem,” Harrison said. “We’re having great outcomes from it.” Most students take the online CDL course from 7:30 p.m. to 2:30 a.m., indicating they are employed full time but want a career change or better salary, she added. So far, 200 people have completed the training and found jobs. Also interim director ACCS Innovation Center, which creates curriculum to fill in-demand jobs, Harrison meet with Alabama Truck Association and trucking company leaders to learn what they thought should be taught in the CDL course in addition to federal requirements. “They helped to perfect it and feel very Alabama. Building the curricula is just as important as delivering a curricula,” she said. “The partnership is the only way that it wins.” Trucking companies and their employees also featured in learning videos. There are many reasons for trucking's ongoing labor shortage. We recap discussions from the first half of this year in this "roundabout" episode. Tune in above or by going to RoadSigns.TTNews.com. “It’s very personal. We tried to focus on people who are familiar,” Harrison said. “They’re people that really have these jobs. These are trucks that you will recognize the name because they exist in Alabama, and that’s kind of the pride piece we put in there. “We can provide the training at no fee for participants until the money runs out. These are workforce jobs that make a state work or not work. We are kind of prescreening for employment because we want to make good use of the money, so we wouldn’t want to train someone who isn’t going to be eligible for a job.” Interested parties can complete an online ACCS form (https://innovation.accs.edu/) before being directed to their local community college for the CDL training. Then the community college, which has hiring requirements from area trucking companies, works with students and companies to match candidates with available jobs. Trucking companies are encouraged to hire students from the program to ensure its success. “The greatest outcome is employment and that’s good for everybody,” Harrison said.
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Newspaper/TV Release • •
18-year old student gets CDL before graduating High School
First 18-year old senior to get a CDL from a high School based program.
Northeastern High School of York in Pennsylvania is finishing their first Commercial Drivers License (CDL) class in May. Northeastern High School started a CDL theory class called DRIVE founded years ago to help students pass their CDL permit exam and explore future careers. The CDL licensing class was added this year to teach the behind-the-wheel skills and on-road lessons. This will be the first class to earn their CDL license before graduating high school at Northeastern. Owen Beshore is an 18-year old senior that earned honor roll status every year in his high school career. He participated on the school’s volleyball team and is a member of the York County 4-H club. Owen has a career interest in farming and small business development. Owen currently works at Walker Farms and knows that having his CDL will be a benefit to him in his future career. This summer Owen plans to work for Neumiller Harvesting which harvest wheat and corn in the Midwest. He will start work in June in Kansas and finish up in North Dakota in November. His work duties will consist of operating a combine harvester and driving CDL trucks to the grain bins. After this Midwest experience he plans to come back to York County and work on a farm in Glen Rock. In the future he plans on having his own farm raising beef and dairy cattle with a roadside stand and butcher shop. Northeastern High School DRIVE program is also working with two other seniors this year to help them get their CDL license before or shortly after graduation. Currently only students that are 18 can take the CDL license test because of the minimum age requirement set by the state of Pennsylvania. Northeastern High School of York continues to expand their program to increase more student participation in the upcoming school year. This program would not have been possible without the help from the Pennsylvania Motor Truck Association, community and industry partners.
Ken Wehmas 515-360-2322 Ruantrucksales.com 14
NAPFTDS BOARD OF DIRECTORS 2022 President
Vice President
Interim Treasurer
Secretary
John Rojas Del Mar College
Lorie Latigo Lone Star College Transportation Insti.
Rob Behnke Fox Valley Technical College
Mary Beth McCollum College of Southern Maryland
Executive Director
Martin Garsee Houston Community College
Immediate Past President
Paul Foster
Board Member
Board Member
Carrier Member
Missy Blair Pima Community College
Kelly Carey Wor-Wic Community College
Bill Buechel Schneider
Board Member
Interim Bd Member
Vendor Member
Vendor Member
Board Member
Tiffany Howard Louisiana Technical & Com College System
Michael McCarthy Seward County Community College
Deborah Quackenbush Virage Simulation
Jill Schultz J.J. Keller & Associates Inc.
John Thorpe Central Tech
Board Member
Board Member
Carrier Member
Board Member
CVTA Representative
Donnie Tulk Tulsa Tech
Celeste Turner Hawkeye Community College
Lesley Vincent Melton Truck Lines
Dan Zdrojewski Milwaukee Area Technical College
Cindy Atwood CVTA Representative
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Would you like to advertise in our eNewsletter, the Learning Curve?
You do! Then please give Crissie Moffet a call/email 316-425-3297 / cmoffet@napftds.org.
The National Association of Publicly Funded Truck Driving Schools (NAPFTDS) is an organization for the promotion of public education for the transportation industry. Through membership, educators can network with other truck driving schools across the country to provide the highest quality, most cost-effective, and up-todate training available. Contact us: Martin Garsee, Executive Dir., NAPFTDS Martin.garsee@hccs.edu 713-718-8203 (O) 713-304-8324 (M)
Tina Frindt, Technical/Finance Assistant tfrindt@napftds.org 570-688-5710 (M) Crissie Moffet Admin Assist to the Board cmoffet@napftds.org 316-425-3297 (O)
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