Maryland CDL Program Puts More Truckers on the Road
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A Maryland community college is putting more truck drivers on the road to help alleviate a driver shortage.
Westminster-based Carroll Community College in March celebrated its latest commercial driver license program graduates, which now total 77 students.
“There is a shortage of CDL drivers in Maryland. The trucking industry relies heavily on these skilled drivers to transport goods across the state and beyond,” said Barbara Burke, college coordinator of career and continuing professional education.
The school’s on-campus CDL program is being conducted through a partnership with both Carroll County Workforce Development and North American Trade Schools in Baltimore. NATS provides tractor-trailers and instructors, while the county workforce development agency not only helps graduates find jobs but provides tuition support to qualified students.
The school's CDL program has graduated 77 students. (Carroll Community College)
“The demand for CDL drivers remains strong, especially considering that nearly 93% of Maryland communities rely exclusively on trucks for delivering goods,” according to Carroll Community College.
Among the school’s newest graduates is Cassandra Foreman, who was the only woman in her class. After seeing training trucks around the area, Foreman wanted to learn about the CDL program. Many of her peers discussed the course’s efficiency, which helped her commit to the program.
“The fact that she’s the only girl out here shows her strength and determination,” said Kyle Leftwich, a student in the most recent CDL class. “She’s better than most of the guys. Her motivation means a lot. It motivates us.”
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Because of her smaller stature, Foreman said she found it more difficult to maneuver the truck and view different reference points on its exterior. “I had to look in different areas compared to the guys. Everyone says I will be the one who will mess up and make mistakes, but I took advantage of that,” she said.
With a CDL, Foreman wants to operate bigger machinery and pursue her career in trucking.
Another motivational story about the CDL program is displayed prominently on Carroll County Workforce Development’s website under its “Success Stories.” It features a man who started taking CDL training in March 2022 and obtained a Class A CDL license a few months later. The Class A CDL enabled him to work as a delivery driver while he pursued a Class B CDL with a hazmat tanker endorsement.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that jobs for heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers will grow 4% in the next decade from the 2.1 million truck drivers employed in 2022.
“About 241,200 openings for heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers are projected each year, on average, over the decade. Many of those openings are expected to result from the need to replace workers who transfer to different occupations or exit the labor force, such as to retire,” according to BLS estimates.
The BLS ranking for State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates in Maryland lists the average wage there for a heavy truck and tractor-trailer truck driver at $55,800 per year based on May 2022 projections.
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