Last Updated on February 26, 2023 by Ivy Tech Community College Kokomo Service Area
KOKOMO, Ind. – Ivy Tech Community College is expanding its CDL-A training classes to an evening offering to better accommodate potential students who work during the day and want to advance themselves with evening classes.
The new classes, which allow students to complete the training over a six-week period, add to Ivy Tech Kokomo’s existing offering of a three-week CDL-A training offered during the day. CDL-A training prepares people to fill high-demand jobs in the trucking industry. Financial assistance may be available through WorkOne or a Workforce Ready Grant for those who qualify.
“This class is for anyone thinking about getting a new job – a job that puts you in demand in the workforce with job security and good pay,” said Katie Loman, executive director of Ivy+ Career Link for the Kokomo Service Area. According to the American Trucking Association, the truck driver shortage was expected to hit a historic high of just over 80,000 drivers by the end of last year with the possibility of a shortage of 160,000 by 2030, the result of growth in the industry and retirements and resignations of existing drivers.
Ivy Tech’s CDL-A night training program, provided in conjunction with Summit Commercial Driver Training LLC, is designed to prepare students to successfully pass both the written and practical portions of Indiana CDL examination in six weeks. Classes will run from 5 to 9 p.m. Mondays through Fridays. It includes 120 hours of training to become a Class-A Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) holder. This course provides a fundamental working knowledge of the varied aspects of the trucking industry and prepares students for an entry-level position as a tractor-trailer driver with a trucking company. The first night session is scheduled to begin March 13 and run through April 21.
Before starting the program, prospective students must have a valid motor vehicle driver’s license and must pass a Department of Transportation physical, the CDL Permit examination (covering the General Knowledge, Air Brakes and Combination Vehicle sections) and a drug screen.
For registration and additional information on the program, contact Bonnie Devers at bdevers3@ivytech.edu or (765) 252-5497.
SOURCE: News release from Ivy Tech Community College Kokomo