Trucking program gets students on the road to high-paying jobs

Copyright © 2009
Gallup Independent
By Linda Thornton
Special to the Independent

GALLUP — Trucking, like other segments of the economy, has seen some downturn. But earning a CDL can still be a passport from a low income to a relatively high-earning job, says Jimmy Gonzales, instructor for UNM-Gallup’s Commercial Drivers License training program.

Some students, Gonzales said, start out making as much as $700 a week, right out of the program. The instructor, who began offering CDL training through UNM-Gallup four years ago, has the numbers to prove his claim. Of the 75 students who have graduated from the program, 64 have found good-paying jobs.

UNM-Gallup’s entry-level CDL program runs from seven to eight weeks. Applicants typically have a high school education or GED, and must be able to read and write.

They must also have a New Mexico or Arizona Driver License. Also required is a clean driving record — no DUIs — and they must be alcohol and drug free for the 60 days prior to enrolling in the class. They must also pass a medical examination in order to obtain a CDL.

For the first two weeks of the program, Gonzales conducts classroom sessions at the UNM-Gallup campus. Students see videos and hear discussions of diverse topics such as air-brake systems, driving with two trailers, equipment maintenance, driving policies and regulations, and such challenges as road rage, driving at night and driving in the rain. After two weeks, they are ready to pass the written test at the Department of Motor Vehicles for a provisional license. After they have their provisional licenses, they proceed to field/lot training at the Gallup Sports Complex, where they inspect the cab, learning the instruments and how to use the air brakes. Other skills they will acquire include learning how to do a pre-trip inspection and how to do daily logging, as well as yard skills training, including back-up, 90-degree alley dock, lane changing, straight backing, sight side parallel parking and blind side parallel parking.

Once they complete this training, the students are ready to take the test for a permanent Class “A” CDL, which requires that they pass lot and driving tests through the New Mexico Department of Transportation.

Class size varies, but most classes are small and students can expect considerable one-on-one time with the instructor. Gonzales is currently teaching six students in his beginners’ class, which is held Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. He also holds a weekend class composed mostly of people who have passed the CDL test and who are looking for a refresher course. This class takes place on Saturday, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., and runs for nine to 10 weeks.

Cost for the course is $2,762, although Navajo students can have the tuition underwritten through Navajo Workforce Development, and Zuni students, through the Zuni Education and Career Development Center.

Currently, Gonzales is looking to expand from two leased trucks to four, with four trainers. His goal is to be able to teach 21 students in each class. He’s also working with local truck companies like Swift and RAC in the hope that they will help underwrite some of the classes. Recently, the program got a new truck, in which he can pack six students in the cab. That means he can drive as many as six of them out to a site at once and they can take turns practicing the maneuvers.

Although trucking jobs have been hit by the economic downturn, Gonzales still guarantees that his graduates can get a job upon completing the program. The most desirable jobs are, of course, with local transportation companies that go short distances. But while those jobs are at a premium today, there are still abundant opportunities with long distance haulers. Gonzales typically helps his students get their first job, and keeps in touch with them for the first year, to monitor their progress.

“If you want to work, you can get hired,” said Gonzales, who drove a truck for seven years prior to taking on the CDL instruction in 2004. Passionate about the program, he is eager to pass his on his enthusiasm for commercial driving and its rewards to his students.

“I still get a thrill from teaching, but perhaps my greatest thrill is when someone tells me that after completing our program and getting hired by a trucking company, he or she has gone from earning $400 a week to $700 a week,” Gonzales said.