Alumni Profiles
Michael Tollette
Truck driving school puts Jackson man on road to new career
Michael Tollette knows only too well the difficulty that comes with being laid off from a job.
After being laid off several times over the past few years from manufacturing jobs, he decided to look for something more stable. JCC’s new truck driver training program was the right answer. JCC and HR Career Development Trucking School offer truck driver training at 1301 Falahee Road, Jackson. The program prepares students to test for the Michigan class “A” commercial driver’s license, required for commercial heavy truck and tractor-trailer drivers.
“It seemed to be one of the few opportunities left in the market that offered the financial means to live on,” Tollette said. “The economy in Michigan is not good, companies are closing and cutting back. I was laid off and decided to look around see what was available outside of the industrial automotive world. I was determined not to be in that panic again. Truck driving seemed to be the perfect opportunity.”
Tollette lives in Jackson and was most recently laid off from the automotive section of Textron, where he had worked for three years. “The auto industry can be very competitive. If you have low seniority, you probably won’t be there very long.”
While the program was challenging – students learn all they need in a three-week period – Tollette says he got through it and had several offers for jobs when he was finished. He currently drives for H.O. Wolding.
“It’s an honorable profession, something that you can be proud of,” Tollette said. “Everything moves by truck in this country, and you can be a part of it.”
