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Demand for truck drivers remains strong even as the Alabama Community College System (ACCS) provides free Skills for Success training programs for would-be drivers to obtain their commercial driver license (CDL). The rapid-training workforce development program kicked off in early 2022, thanks to a special appropriation from the Alabama State Legislature.

The community college system’s efforts to partner with the trucking industry to create educational programming for new drivers is paying off with more job applicants who have the needed skills, says Gary Weaver, ACCS regional director of workforce and economic development. “Trucking companies are pleased to have additional licensed drivers available to replace retiring drivers and allow for business expansion,” he says.

ACCS CDL training programs offer Alabama workers more opportunities for gainful employment. “Not everyone needs a college degree to be a success,” Weaver says. “My father drove a tractor-trailer and fed and clothed our family.”

Weaver points to current employment opportunity data. While monthly job postings for heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers across the nation for a region our size averaged 855, Alabama saw high activity at 1,338 postings, according to first quarter 2025 Lightcast data. In addition, the national average driver employment for a region our size is 32,681, while Alabama employs 42,853 at an average median salary of $49,184.

“Alabama is a hotspot for this kind of job,” notes the Lightcast report, which is based on government and other data.

Skills for Success CDL training programs are offered at most of the state’s 24 community and technical colleges as part of the state’s rapid-training, workforce development push, says Houston Blackwood, workforce director for the ACCS Innovation Center, which created the Skills for Success program. So far, the center has created 52 free innovative, skills-based curriculums for high-demand jobs including truck driving, construction trades, heavy equipment operation, health care and hospitality.

Many students who opt for the Skills for Success CDL training programs are seeking a career change, former military or have farm equipment or other truck driving experience, Blackwood notes. “Not everyone needs traditional classroom instruction for the theory part of the training, so online course work can be a good way to speed up the process,” he says. “We can get participants behind the wheel completing their lab work sooner. Some students are able to develop their hands-on skills (to their instructors’ satisfaction) within three weeks.”

In addition to passing the theory part of a certified CDL course, whether online or in person, CDL candidates must apply with proper documentation for their commercial learner’s permit from the Alabama Department of Public Safety before taking hands-on lab work. After students develop their behind-the-wheel truck driving skills, they then take their CDL skills test before they receive their license.

CDL training is offered to students seeking a Class A license (for heavy and tractor-trailer driving) or Class B license (for lighter-weight vehicles including straight trucks, box trucks and large buses). Training is also available for Hazmat, Passenger and School Bus license endorsements.

From January 2022 through April 21, 2025, Blackwood says, “the Skills for Success program supported 2,281 Class A CDL completers, 400 Class B completers. 1,442 School Bus endorsement completers and 372 Hazmat endorsement completers.”

Weaver and Blackwood have worked together to foster the system’s CDL training programs. “We offer the Skills for Success programs as well as traditional CDL training programs with classroom instruction,” Weaver says. “Some students want or need more assistance from an instructor through class work.”

Traditional programs are offered at an average cost of $3,750, Weaver notes. “Some students can qualify for federal funding that covers tuition and others have employers that are willing to pay for it,” he says.

Federal funding also may be available to cover tuition for eligible students at certified private CDL training programs across the state. Tuition typically varies among schools in the $3,500 to $4,500 range per program, according to the Alabama Trucking Association.

One such CDL training program is Summerdale-based CDL of AL. The school began serving students in 2008, says Elizabeth Pate, spokesperson for the company. “We offer multiple classes every month to accommodate the variety of schedules and interests of our students,” she says.

One recent ACCS success story is David Kelley of Florence, who went through the Northwest Shoals Community College (NWCC) Skills for Success CDL program. Kelley finished his online course and hands-on lab work before passing his CDL skills test on January 27. He then was hired by Clark Gas and began work on February 24. “I credit prayer and fasting (in addition to his NSCC training program) with helping me get a job just 5 minutes from where I live,” he says.

Kelley had worked at a local paper mill for 21 years before deciding it was time to do something else. “I went by the local community college to see what opportunities might be out there for me,” he says. “When I found I could receive CDL training for free, I was immediately interested in learning more.”

Kelley initially opted to get a manual transmission CDL Class A license, but after having trouble passing his manual skills test opted to go after an automatic license as most newer trucks have automatic transmissions. After getting his job with Clark Gas he went back for his Tanker and Hazmat endorsements. “If I had it to do over again, I would have gone ahead and signed up to go for the endorsements to begin with as they open up more driving opportunities,” he says.

While Kelley hasn’t been on the job very long, he’s already enjoying it. “It’s a total change of pace, and I have appreciated how I’ve been treated by my employer,” he says.

Northwest Shoals offers Skills for Success CDL program only because the community college had not offered a traditional program before, says Andrew Robbins, NSCC executive director of workforce development and training. One of the perks the college provides through its adult education department is a CDL permit class. “The class covers the costs of obtaining a drivers permit, which can range from $200 to $225, for participating students,” Robbins says.

The Northwest Shoals CDL program is so popular that its CDL hands-on labs run three trucks from 7:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. six days a week, says Adam Willis, NSCC coordinator of workforce development. Two more trucks are being added to the fleet. “Some students are able to complete their lab work and master their skills in three weeks, but for others it can take four to five months,” Willis says.

Each college’s Skills for Success CDL training program is set up uniquely based on student needs. J.F. Ingram State Technical College, for example, serves Draper Instructional Service Center, Frank Lee Work Release in Deatsville, Montgomery Women’s Facility, Red Eagle Work Center, and the Perry County Probation and Parole Reentry Education Program Center in Uniontown. The college’s ISTC Foundation covers licensing fees for all the program’s eligible participants.

So far, 109 students have earned their commercial driving license since the program kicked off in 2019, says Samantha Rose, public relations coordinator at the technical college. “Each CDL certification represents both a personal victory and a contribution to Alabama’s economic growth,” she says.