Road to Success

TRUCK DRIVING SCHOLARSHIPS SUPPLY LOCAL WORKFORCE

Twenty-five lives were changed this spring when the CLC Foundation received a donation to fund truck driving scholarships. That opened the door to opportunity for a group of qualified individuals to complete short-term training to earn their Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) and join the workforce free of tuition. This full-ride scholarship provided not only professional truck driver training, but also career counseling, support initiatives and friendly faculty and staff whose goal is to see students succeed.

The demand for professional truck drivers increased significantly across the nation during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the need continues for more people to take on the role. The number of truck driving jobs in the area is projected to increase seven percent by 2025.

Alyssa Siegfried

To meet the high demand for CDL drivers locally, CLC allocated the $110,000 donation to promote and establish this scholarship that will put students in the driver’s seat. The program takes about two months to complete and usually costs students $4,100. Cost is often a barrier to pursuing this life-changing license.

“These scholarships help people earn a family sustaining wage by achieving a workforce credential in a short period of time,” said Manager of Professional Development Laura Asbury. CLC partners with Kotra Driving School in Park City to deliver the 160-hour training. And while the typical job is a semi-truck trailer driver, those with the top tier Class A CDL license earned in this program can drive basically any motor vehicle, including dump trucks, school buses and construction vehicles. They learn not only how to operate the heavy-duty vehicle, but how to check more than 80 points of inspection before they even start the truck.

“When you drive down the road, some semis are standard, but others are moving giant bulk import shipping containers around the world,” explained Alyssa Siegfried of Zion, a scholarship recipient and Kotra trainer. “Society needs them to function.”

Siegfried took classes at CLC sporadically after high school, but quickly fell into the role of employee more often than when she was a student. She jumped at the opportunity to earn her CDL for free. Siegfried completed the safety class and passed her license test within two months.

“If you’re thinking about going for your CDL to upskill or change your career, make time and do it,” she said. “It’s a wonderful experience and your field of employability opens a lot more.

Like Siegfried, a fresh group of highly qualified Lake County residents will soon hit the road, thanks to a very generous donor who paved the way to fill a workforce need.

"IMAGINE A WORLD WHERE THERE WERE NO TRUCK DRIVERS. NOTHING WOULD GET MOVED.”