FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) — A free truck driver training program in Fresno is helping community members get behind the wheel of a new career while addressing workforce needs across the transportation industry.
On a recent training day, Kaia Rhodes climbed into the cab of a semi-truck and prepared for another practice run. After completing her safety checks, she carefully backed the truck through the training course while her instructor monitored every move.
Rhodes is one of the trainees enrolled in the State Center Community College District Training Institute Truck Driver Training Program, an eight-week course that prepares students to earn a commercial driver’s license, or CDL.
For Rhodes, becoming a truck driver is about more than a career.
“What really made me go into truck driving was that I have a little brother,” Rhodes said. “He’s autistic and he loves the big trucks. So for me to drive that big truck and have him in a passenger seat would definitely make his world spin extra fast.”
The program allows participants to complete their CDL training in as little as eight weeks. One of its biggest draws is that it costs students nothing.
“I was trying to get into trucking for the last two years, but it was very expensive,” Rhodes said. “So being free of charge has helped me a lot.”
The training program has operated for about a year and a half. Since its launch, officials say it has continued to evolve and grow.
Daniel Griffith, senior program specialist with the Training Institute, said the program recently moved to a larger training site through its partnership with OK Produce.
“So we’re at a new facility that’s given us some more space, and it’s going to give us the opportunity to expand the program,” Griffith said.
The expanded training area gives students more room to practice driving maneuvers and lets organizers accommodate future growth.
Program leaders also recently received a funding extension through the Good Jobs Challenge grant. The new funding will keep the training free for participants through next summer.
In addition to CDL instruction, students connect with industry employers before completing the program. Companies such as Knight Transportation connect with the students before they complete their training.
“We want to make sure that once our students get their commercial driver’s license, that they’re able to transition to a job that can help them provide for their families,” Griffith said.
The results have been encouraging. Since the program’s first cohort, approximately 135 students have completed the training. Organizers say about 80% of those graduates have gone on to secure employment in the trucking industry.
For Rhodes, those numbers are reassuring as she works toward her own future behind the wheel.
“Just to drive that big truck seems like a dream come true,” she said.
Applications for the program remain open year-round. The next cohort begins October 26.
You can find more information about the course and an application to apply by clicking here.
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