Yahoo Finance How Patterson High is working to deliver its trucking knowhow to schools across the nation
For seven years, the truck-driving program at Patterson High has helped students find a road to a good career. Now, through a nonprofit it launched, the Next Generation in Trucking Foundation, PHS wants to do the same for teens across the country.
The foundation has launched a curriculum companion for commercial driver license programs in high schools nationwide. It supports teachers in a yearlong commercial driver license course and prepares students to complete the commercial learner’s permit exam after they turn 18.
In 2019, the American Trucking Associations found the average age of truck drivers was 46, while the average age of new drivers was 35, contributing to a shortage of truck drivers.
The trucking industry is “something that can help a lot of people, especially for future debt, like colleges,” said Patterson senior Teffany Dominguez-Santamaria. “It’s not just a career that will benefit students freshly out of high school. It’s also something that will help us a lot longer in life.”
Dominguez has family in the industry. She plans to apply to UC Merced and Stanislaus State and do commercial driving to help pay for college.
There’s “so much more” to driving than many people might think, she said. “It’s not just sitting in a truck. It’s the experiences, the people, the good habits.”
The program at Patterson High School teaches the federal entry level driver training standards and prepares students to take the permit test. The one-year elective class is open to seniors Once they complete the course and turn 18, they can take the written permit test at the DMV.
Students will learn topics like commercial motor vehicle driving basics, defensive driving, air-brake systems, combination vehicles, hazmat, vehicle inspections and more. They will also have to log a minimum of 20 hours in a truck simulator to learn proper shifting, backing and defensive driving techniques. And they’ll learn how to conduct pre-trip inspections and air-brake tests.
Once they have their permit, students can enroll in the Patterson Joint Unified School District adult education program. They can use adult-ed funds to contract with a private truck driving school to complete the behind-the-wheel training at no cost.
“Imagine how different our industry would look and feel if trucking was a first career choice for more people,” said Dave Dein, co-founder of the Next Generation Trucking Foundation and high school commercial license program instructor in Patterson. “Ten years from now, we’ll look back at this point as this defining moment in the trucking industry when high schools took a proactive approach and provided the highest level of training for our students.”
Dein said he is working on a two-year course that will be implemented next year at Patterson High School.
Nationwide, around 8.4 million people were employed in jobs related to trucking in 2022, according to the American Trucking Association. In addition, the industry made $940.8 billion in gross freight revenues from primary shipments only from trucking. This represents 80.7% of the nation’s freight bill in 2022.
Andres Lopez, senior at Patterson High School, said the school partners with a lot of local companies, allowing for employment opportunities once you graduate.
His family also is involved in the commercial driving industry and he plans attend trade school to become a diesel technician.
“Without truck drivers, we wouldn’t have any food, any clothes. A lot of our stuff comes from trucking,”said Lopez. “Trucking is very important also because when the pandemic was around, truckers would still not let anyone down. They were still delivering all the products and goods people needed.”
For more information about the Next Generation in Trucking Foundation, the curriculum companion, or to inquire about commercial driver’s license programming for high schools, contact Dein at info@nextgentrucking.org.
