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Contact: Marilynn Fryer
(517) 796-8466
e-mail: FryerMarilynT@jccmi.edu
January 12th, 2007
For immediate release

Truck driver training gets rolling at JCC

Local residents will soon be able to prepare for a profession in the high-demand field of truck driving! Jackson Community College will begin offering Commercial Driver’s License training on Jan. 29, pending state approval.

The College has signed an agreement with H R Career Development Trucking School to offer truck driver training at the Commercial Exchange site in Michigan Center, 1301 Falahee Road. The College’s Business & Industry Support Center is coordinating this new program.

Training will prepare students to test for the Michigan class “A” commercial driver’s license (CDL), required for commercial heavy truck and tractor-trailer drivers. Students will learn through classroom and hands-on training, and will practice driving on a range as well as over-the-road.

Over a four-week period students will attend 142½ hours of classroom and behind-the-wheel experience, as well as 32½ hours of home study. Classes of three to five students will begin weekly. HR Career Development will provide recruitment assistance by having representatives from all major freight haulers visit each class. All students must pass a criminal background check and drug screen, have a good driving record and pass a Michigan Department of Transportation physical. Cost of the training is $4,995. These courses do not qualify for federal financial aid, however interested students may take a personal loan, and some displaced worker programs, such as the North American Free Trade Agreement – Transitional Adjustment Assistance (NAFTA-TAA) act, will pay for the training.

Job opportunities for truck drivers are expected to increase over the coming years due to growth in the economy and in the amount of freight carried by truck. Truck driving ranges from short-run jobs where drivers are home each night, to over-the-road drivers who may be gone a few days to a week at a time. Salary ranges vary, but most drivers earn between $35,000 and $60,000.

For more information, contact 1-888-750-6200, or call the BISC at 796-8635.