Letter to the Editor: Driving School Woes
s a student who will soon be entering the truck-driving field, I feel obligated to inform others that education and training to become a professional driver are in danger of being eliminated.
What should be comprehensive programs that include classroom instruction and a practical amount of driving time on the road are slowly being squeezed out of existence by budget cuts and administrations that feel truck driving does not deserve the funding to adequately train students.
At the school I attend, even though funding for the Commercial Vehicle Operation program has been cut to near extinction, resulting in only one instructor, there is a waiting list for students desperate to get seats in a class. Some other schools offer limited training at exorbitant prices.
Our area is battling unemployment and jobs are scarce, but there are always jobs for truckers. Because of the shortage of good drivers, local companies have little choice but to hire half-trained graduates.
If trucking is truly concerned about keeping a supply of well-trained professional truck drivers, it’s time trucking officials put their complaints into action and got involved with accredited technical schools offering more than a crash course to gain a commercial driver license.
I have a great instructor, but conditions in our class have been abysmal. We have plenty of equipment parked on the school campus, but it’s broken down or unsafe to drive. Administration will not approve funding for even the most minor repairs. Our time on the backing pad is divided. We spend part of our driving time hosing down radiators on trucks that overheat.
No consideration is given to the fact that there are more jobs available in the trucking field than any other. Statistics show that entry-level truck drivers can earn thousands of dollars more than their contemporaries entering a clerical field. It’s the best training program going for men and women looking to earn a living for their families.
Trucking companies can ease their search for qualified drivers by becoming more actively involved in their training. How? Donate equipment. Contact instructors at accredited schools and ask what can be done to help.
Contact local state legislators and demand to know why truck-driving instruction is being squeezed out of the education budget when the demand for training is at an all-time high. It’s time to stop carping and get some answers.
June Thompson
i>Student, Commercial Vehicle Operation
onesboro, La.
This letter appeared in the July 25 print edition of Transport Topics. Subscribe today.