A professional truck driving course is being rolled out at Mid-Plains Community College this month. Classes begin Jan. 12.
“We are so excited to offer this course to meet area workforce development needs,” said Crystal Welch, area operations manager for the MPCC Center for the Enterprise. “This is a blended course with online classroom instruction. It provides flexibility to students who have full-time jobs, but want to explore a new career.”
The intensive eight-week program is designed for people without trucking experience who want to complete commercial driver’s license (CDL) training in as little time as possible.
It prepares students for a career in intrastate and interstate commerce. Training includes driving on city streets and rural roads as well as on two-lane highways and interstate systems.
Students will put in approximately 60 hours of drive time and will test their skills at Central States Safety and Driver Training in Kearney before progressing to the highway.
The curriculum used meets criteria established by the Professional Truck Driver Institute. Instructing the course is Dennis Holtz, who has more than 45 years and over 2 million miles of trucking experience.
He has taught professional truck driver training for three years and is a third party CDL examiner for the Nebraska Department of Motor Vehicles
“I have driven in just about every kind of weather, including high winds, thunderstorms, tornados and blizzards,” said Holtz. “I have been able to take drivers who have never been in a large tractor-trailer rig and teach them the basics from the ground up.”
To be eligible for the course, students must:
- Be at least 18 years of age
- Have a safe driving record
- Have a valid motor vehicle operator’s license
- Be physically qualified according to Department of Transportation regulations
- Go through a drug screening
- Obtain a CDL learners permit by taking a 50-question general knowledge test at a Department of Motor Vehicles office
Acceptance into the program is contingent upon the quality of the driving record and the results of the drug screening and physical.
Successful completion of coursework, driving and testing will result in a nationally-recognized CDL. The cost of the program is $2,995.
Those interested in registering can do so online at www.centerforenterprise.com, or by calling by calling 535-3614.