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Rock Spring: Trucking program puts pedal to the metal

By: Chloé Morrison
(Contact)

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Al Hutchison

ROCK SPRING, Ga. — Rossville resident Holly Gibson received her commercial driver’s license Thursday from Northwestern Technical College, and soon will embark on a cross-country road trip in an 18-wheeler with her boyfriend of about a year, Billy Oakes.

The two are going to be a “team” taking turns driving for Paschall Truck Lines, a Kentucky-based long-haul carrier, Ms. Gibson said.

“It is a lot better than somebody you don’t even know, because you are in the truck with them all the time,” she said, though close quarter squabbles have crossed her mind as a possibility.

The couple said they are excited for the opportunity to spend time together — free of responsibilities such as children — while getting to see the country and make good money.

the course

Northwestern offers five commercial trucking courses.

Al Hutchison, vice president of economic development with Northwestern, said the trucking course is popular. About 150 students complete the course each year.

For classes taken during the week it’s an eight-week course, and for weekend classes it takes 10 weeks. A total of 240 hours is needed to get a license, said Ronnie Carr, program director.

“We start their first week in the classroom with all the rules and regulations,” he said. “Then they come out and learn how to pretrip the truck. That is inspecting it to make sure it is safe to be on the roadway.”

There are 105 things to check when pretripping a truck, from door hinges to headlights, officials said.

The students must master six basic driving skills, such as backing up and parallel parking. At the end of the class students take a two-hour test.

The hardest part is for students to remember that they are driving such a large vehicle, Mr. Carr said.

“They have a trailer behind them,” he said. “Some people tend to forget that. Some people have shifting problems.”

Shifting the 10-speed transmission wasn’t a problem for Ms. Gibson.

“The test was pretty simple because we have been doing it for so long,” she said.

on the road

In addition to the quality time with her boyfriend, Ms. Gibson said it’s the earnings that prompted her to take the class at Northwestern.

She said she expects to make $70,000 a year — a big step up from her pay as an assistant manager at Pizza Hut.

Mr. Carr said most truckers don’t make as much as Ms. Gibson. They start out with salaries between $25,000 and $45,000. Long-haul truckers often make more.

Mr. Oakes, who has been driving for Budweiser for about two years now, and said he likes the freedom that comes with being on the road.

“You are pretty much your own boss,” he said. “You are out on your own.”

But the road isn’t for everyone, school officials said.

“Part of the problem is, if you are married and have a family, it causes some issues,” Mr. Hutchison said.

Northwestern’s training program has been in place since the 1980s, so its solid standing attracts recruiters. Most students who finish the program get jobs, school officials said.

The skill is important to the economy and area communities, with businesses, from gas stations to grocery stores, reliant on truckers.

“Somebody’s got to haul this stuff to, like, Wal-Mart,” Ms. Gibson said.

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