The Clark State College Commercial Transportation Training Center has resumed its weekend truck driving courses to help fill the demand for truckers.
Truck driving is the second most in demand job around the Miami Valley. With over 2,300 jobs posted in May, CTTC’s revival of the weekend CDL course could help fill some of those numbers.
The weekend course lasts 6 weeks, and graduates will be awarded a CDL Class A license at its conclusion. That license can set them up for a variety of different trucking jobs throughout the Miami Valley.
Duane Hodge is the director of the CTTC. He said that bringing back the weekend courses was a big goal of his.
Hodge said the class is largely meant to help those who may be interested in getting a CDL license but don’t have the extra time or money to take the weekday course that CTTC normally offers.
A large number of people are considered underemployed, according to Hodge, and they have “a little too much month at the end of the money.”
“Our weekend program really fills that void in the training space which gives them the ability then to be able to get the CDL license and still be able to keep up with their bills while they’re waiting to graduate,” Hodge said.
Hodge also said that a number of people who reach out to the CTTC express a concern in being away from their families for long periods of time if they take a trucking job.
However, because of the Interstate 70 and 75 corridor around the Dayton area, a lot of businesses, offer trucking jobs that don’t require long distances. Instead, Hodge said, you can put your license acquired through the CTTC to good use and still be home at night for dinner with your family.
“I think if you're somebody who really is looking for a way to jump right into a middle class lifestyle, you can do that with a CDL license,” he said. “I mean, where else are you going to get a professional license in four weeks or six weeks?”
The weekend sessions fill up quickly, with the next session starting August 18 almost filled.
You can learn more about upcoming sessions here.
