Class to get truck drivers on the road

The commercial driver’s 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’s a field where you can make a stable living.

“I got students starting in the mid 30′s going all the way up, we had one guy making close to $120,000 a year,” he said. “It’s a great opportunity to make a great living for yourself.”

Higginbotham added because it’s a growing field, there is always a need for more drivers.

“I’ve got probably, I don’t know, what… 10, 12 companies that call me weekly and say, ‘I need drivers, I need drivers’,” 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’t interested in a four-year degree.

“It was always something I was interested in,” Henderson said. “I like to travel so the university route was not for me.”

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.

“I feel like I get more hands-on training, more one-on-one personal experience behind the wheel,” Henderson said. “That has been a part that I really enjoyed so far.”

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’s 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/