Becoming a truck driver gives his students good prospects for continued employment, Lewis said.
Companies that hire drivers may not be doing as much hiring right now, Lewis said. “But they’ve always hired drivers, and they’re going to continue to hire drivers.”
That’s what students in Lewis’ class are banking on.
Demetrius Johnson, 22, said he decided to enroll in Northeast’s truck driver training program after he was laid off from his job with the TransCanada pipeline and couldn’t find work in the Norfolk area.
Johnson said he checked the help wanted ads in the Daily News and found several opportunities for certified nurse assistants or individuals with their commercial driver’s license (CDL).
Kevin Pendergast, 42, said he had owned a small bar and grill in Norfolk, but as the economy went south, so did his business. After closing the business, Pendergast said he decided to give himself an edge by obtaining his CDL. Northeast’s high rate of job placement is another reason he decided to go back to school, he said.
Another of the truck driving students, Derrick Williams, 44, said he is also unemployed due to the recession. A carpenter by trade for the past 23 years, Williams said he ran out of work.
“Because of my age, I’m getting old to be framing houses, first of all. Second of all, my dad’s a truck driver and I want to drive a truck. I’ve always wanted to drive a truck ever since I was a little kid,” Williams said.
Unemployed individuals have been a significant portion of the students in Northeast’s truck driver training program, said Lyle Kathol, dean of applied technology.
“I think right now it’s economics; many can’t afford to be without a job for two years or four years to get another college degree,” Kathol said. “A truck driver training program of six weeks like ours gets them back into the job market and is a good-paying job.”
Demographically, Kathol said, the students’ ages run the gamut, with more women enrolling than in years past. Some students enroll in the program because they have a disability or physical limitations that may restrict them in other jobs. Most of the loading and unloading is done with machinery, so most truck drivers stay behind the wheel.
For many students, a desire to be a truck driver also draws their interest in the program, Kathol said.
“They like the aspect of being an operator of a heavy truck, doing over-the-road trucking. Some like to see the countryside; some like to have a job where it’s themselves only,” Kathol said.
Regardless of the reason students in Northeast’s professional truck driver training program enter, getting a job after they earn their CDL is almost guaranteed, Lewis said.
“The economy is down a little bit; at the same time, a lot of companies are looking ahead. Because when the economy does start to come up, they can’t be waiting to train the drivers. They need to have drivers trained, experienced, ready to go,” Lewis said.
