Driving trucks takes training and practice

One by one they hoisted themselves up into the driver’s seat of the massive truck. They turned the key in the ignition, shifted the gear and practiced backing up the truck, turning as they did to go up a slight incline, all the while being mindful not to hit the orange cones set up as a barrier. They did this under the watchful eye of their instructor assessing their performance.

A group of 15 students were enrolled in the truck driving class at the A-1 CDL School on Coles Drive in Manassas as they assembled the day after Labor Day for instruction. They were training to secure either a Class A license needed for carrying heavier loads over long distances, a Class B, which qualifies them to drive a dump truck, trash truck and the like, and also qualifies them to drive a school or other passenger bus. A Class A license requires 50 hours of classroom and 90 hours of in-vehicle training. A Class B license holder must have 30 hours of classroom and 40 hours of in-vehicle training.

Completion of training and testing at the school is just the first hurdle. Then comes the Department of Motor Vehicles test, which students must pass in order to get a truck-driving license.

The Manassas school has a 98 percent passing and job placement rate for its graduates, according to Denorah J. Marshall, office manager and counselor at A-1. Students can enroll in the Monday-through-Friday class and finish in four weeks or take the weekend class on Saturday and Sunday and finish in eight weeks. The school helps with job placement. The tuition is $4,900 for Class A instruction and $3,200 for Class B.

See the Sept. 30 issue of the Bull Run Observer for the full story.