Tyke Allery practices truck driving using a simulator as Jonathan Saltzman watches his progress. The two students are among the first to take advantage of a new commercial driver’s license training program through Minot Public Schools.

Brian Guerrero comes from a long line of truck drivers and wants to follow in their footsteps.

“I always had an interest in trucks since I was a kid,” said Guerrero, one of the first students in Minot Public Schools’ new Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) training program. He had enjoyed riding with his father in making furniture deliveries so it was an easy decision to sign up for the class.

“I had a serious interest in this,” he said. “I’m confident where it can take me.”

Six students are enrolled in this semester’s CDL program, led by instructor Leverrett “Oley” Larsen. The course can accommodate eight to 10 students and is open to high school seniors.

Larsen said the course provides a large amount of information to be absorbed in a two-hour class period over a semester.

“They have to be pretty committed. Otherwise, I don’t know if they will make that. Because you’ve got to have the hours. You’ve got to have the theory. You’ve got to have the behind-the wheel,” Larsen said.

The simulator lab is open whenever the building is open, and Larsen said he intends to ensure facilities are available after school or weekends to get his students to the level of proficiency needed by the end of the course.

Once students complete the course, they can test to receive their CDLs, as long as they are at least 18 years old.

“When the class is over, they have up to a year that they can still use the truck and go get their license with it. So even though the class ends, their time with this program isn’t a hard ending,” Larsen said.

The course is offered at the new Minot Area Workforce Academy near the new Minot North High School that is under construction.

“There is so much technology that has been put into running this program that, really, it is a signature program, very state of the art,” Larsen said.

“I think it’s really cool. Very new and high-tech, that’s for sure,” said student Jonathan Saltzman. “I didn’t think they were going to have simulators and all this stuff. Honestly, I thought it was going to be sit down, read books, learn how to basically do it. Simulators made it really exciting.”

Saltzman said the class appealed to him because he’s already been around trucks for a long time. His father drives trucks and ran a trucking company for a time, which offered a chance for him to ride along.

He said having a CDL would be valuable because it opens the door to many job opportunities. Even if he decides to pursue a different career, having CDL training creates fallback options, he said.

Tyke Allery also signed up for the class to have a fallback in a job market that is strong right now. In addition, taking the course gives him a chance to see how commercial driving suits him.

Since enrolling, he’s discovered there’s a lot to learn. The course won’t be as easy as he expected, but it is shaping up to be more fun than he expected, he said. Like Saltzman, Allery anticipated mostly bookwork so was pleasantly surprised to find a hands-on class.

“I didn’t expect those simulators or an actual truck,” he said. “It’s really cool.”

Larsen said the program continues to assemble an advisory board of industry representatives. He said there’s been enthusiasm among companies about the program.

“We see huge value,” said Steve Farden with Farden Construction, Maxbass, noting that his company and other contractors “will do just about anything we can to support that.”

Whether it is helping with equipment or job shadowing opportunities, companies want to encourage programs that expose young people to careers in the industry, he said.

Dan Ruby with Circle Sanitation, Minot, has followed the development of the CDL program over the past two years and is pleased to see the first class enrolled.

“Because of the new requirements from the Federal Motor Carrier (Safety) Administration, we have had to resort to setting up our own training for employees that come on. We can do that, but it certainly helps if there’s more people in the CDL pool because the training takes a fair amount of time,” Ruby said.

Also, once trained, an employee may move on to a different employer or different field, he said. Having a trained pool reduces that risk of lost investment into an employee.

The ability of teens to drive commercially has some limitations due to insurance regulations, but they can move up quickly.

“It’s important for them not only to get that license but to keep their driving record clean,” Ruby said.

Farden Construction is involved with the Association of General Contractors, which also has a CDL training program. However, Farden said students who can come out of high school with industry certifications have a leg up compared to those who must travel to another community and invest significant resources into getting that training after graduation.

CDLs aren’t just for truck drivers, either, he said. Many jobs, whether as a lineman or working in the oil field, as a technician or even petroleum engineer, can benefit from holding a CDL because of the equipment that occasionally needs a driver, he said.

There are no females enrolled in Minot’s CDL program, but Larsen said the school plans to hold a weekend event to expose girls to the simulator and other equipment, with the hope of stirring an interest in a career.

“They are good paying jobs,” Larsen said. “I just think that an opportunity is there for anybody.”

For Guerrero, it’s the positive, real-life trucking stories that Larsen shares in class that get his attention.

“I just love talking about it,” he said. “I find it very interesting just to hear about it. Hopefully, I can have some of those experiences myself.”