The commercial driver鈥檚 license class gives students the license to drive an eighteen-wheeler, with three weeks dedicated to practicing their skills on the road.
Instructor Kenny Higginbotham drove a truck for 30 years, and he said it鈥檚 a field where you can make a stable living.
鈥淚 got students starting in the mid 30鈥瞫 going all the way up, we had one guy making close to $120,000 a year,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a great opportunity to make a great living for yourself.鈥�
Higginbotham added because it鈥檚 a growing field, there is always a need for more drivers.
鈥淚鈥檝e got probably, I don鈥檛 know, what… 10, 12 companies that call me weekly and say, 鈥業 need drivers, I need drivers鈥�,鈥� he said.
Eric Henderson is two weeks into the class. He said truck driving is something he has always thought about doing, but he wasn鈥檛 interested in a four-year degree.
鈥淚t was always something I was interested in,鈥� Henderson said. 鈥淚 like to travel so the university route was not for me.鈥�
He added he never likes being in a large classroom and doing this course with only a couple of other people gives him the instruction he needs.
鈥淚 feel like I get more hands-on training, more one-on-one personal experience behind the wheel,鈥� Henderson said. 鈥淭hat has been a part that I really enjoyed so far.鈥�
The class gives students the opportunity to earn a competitive wage along with having no student debt over their heads.
On average, a truck driver in Randolph County earns around $50,000 a year. That鈥檚 far beyond the household median average of $37,000.
The class has become so popular that there is now a four-month waitlist to be enrolled.
The next opening BRTC has for the CDL program is not until September 2022.
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Link to Video: https://www.kait8.com/2022/04/20/class-get-truck-drivers-road/