Tucker Bubacz, a 17-year-old 12th grader, climbs into the cabin of a pickup truck just outside Williamsport High School in Williamsport, Md. On Monday, October 17, 2022.
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Tucker Bubacz, a 17-year-old 12th grader, climbs into the cabin of a pickup truck just outside Williamsport High School in Williamsport, Md. On Monday, October 17, 2022.
Amanda Berg for NPR
On the campus of Williamsport High School in western Maryland, three 17-year-olds climb into the cabin of a white Volvo truck, pens and pads in hand.
They record the odometer, check the warning lights, honk the horn and test the brakes. That’s part of a job called pre-trip inspection.
In the real world, this process takes about 10 minutes, but today students move slowly and systematically, under the supervision of instructor Eric Young.
“This is a $100,000 truck,” Young said. “If you start the engine by mistake, you’ll be looking for a new job.”
This fall, this truck driving course was introduced at Williamsport High School for the first time as part of a nationwide effort to expose young drivers to an industry in great need. workers.
Eric Young, one of the career teachers at Williamsport High School, is teaching the school’s first trucking class this year through a partnership with Hagerstown Community College. Young worked part-time as a truck driver, including delivering milk from Pennsylvania dairy firms.
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Over the next decade, the trucking industry says it will need to hire more than a million drivers
The American Trucking Association projects that trucking companies will need to hire nearly 1.2 million drivers over the next decade.
Part of that is because the workforce is aging rapidly: the average age of long-haul truckers is 46, according to the group. And when lifting heavy pallets as part of the job, the team of drivers is even smaller.
Another reason is lifestyle. Many long-haul truckers say the pay isn’t high enough to make up for the days away from family. High turnover in the industry.
One idea that’s being talked about: Get young drivers into the industry earlier.
Traditionally, trucking was not among the vocational programs offered at high schools, in part because of age restrictions on interstate trucking. Federal law requires commercial vehicle drivers to be 21 years of age or older to cross state roads.
“That’s where you make the most money,” said Joshua Hewitt, a 17-year-old senior at Williamsport High School who enrolled in trucking classes. “You can make money in the state, but across the state, go from the West Coast to the East Coast – that’s where you make the most money.”
Joshua Hewitt, a 17-year-old student, says he’d rather be an executive owner, meaning he’d own his own truck than work for someone else. He has an eye on long-distance transportation. “That’s where you make the most money,” he said.
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Trainees in the trucking class spend their time performing pre-trip inspections, inspecting trucks from front to back and under the hood.
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But now, the federal government is piloting a three-year apprenticeship program that allows 18- to 20-year-olds to drive commercial vehicles on interstate roads, opening up career opportunities for graduates. high school that didn’t exist before.
More and more high schools looking to seize that opportunity. At Williamsport High, the goal is to prepare students for the commercial driver’s license exam when they turn 18. They then have a road skills course to take part in. nearby community college before they can get their commercial license.
“By August, they can get a six-figure salary,” says Young.
A teenager’s disinterest in school prompted the creation of the trucking program
The idea for the trucking course at Williamsport High School came from vice principal Adam Parry.
A few years ago, Parry was talking to a group of sophomores, including Tucker Bubacz, a cute farm boy who grew up around trucks and tractors.
“He’s not doing well academically. So when that happens, you sit down and have a discussion to figure out what’s going on,” Parry said.
Assistant Principal Adam Parry first thought about starting a truck driving class at his high school a few years ago. He was able to do it with funding and support from the county and state and guidance from Patterson High School in California.
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The vice principal saw an enthusiastic void. Bubacz and his friends are not motivated by school. Nor were they particularly excited about the vocational programs offered, including construction and hospitality. But he had a hunch that trucking might be different.
Williamsport is located along two major interstates, just minutes from West Virginia and Pennsylvania. A truck driver friend told Parry of the enormous need for drivers.
“In his view, there will be about 50,000 jobs in this field alone in the next five to 10 years,” Parry said.
So he came up with the idea for a truck driving class through Bubacz.
“Yes, I want to drive a truck!” is the strong reaction of teenagers. He is now one of three students enrolled in the inaugural class.
Teenagers who have not yet driven interstates
Transportation facilities Pilot program to learn safe driving passed by Parliament in 2021 as part of the bipartisan infrastructure law. The program seeks to enroll several thousand apprentices over three years.
So far, it’s had a slow start.
Tucker Bubacz and Joshua Hewitt fill out checklists before their trip outside Williamsport High School in Williamsport, Md., on Monday, October 17, 2022.
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Tucker Bubacz, Peter Vilas Novas, and instructor Eric Young watch Joshua Hewitt practice navigating intersections on a simulator, a key component of their training before receiving their license.
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So far, half a dozen trucking companies have been approved to participate in the program.
Those companies must first recruit experienced drivers, who will supervise the apprentices, before they can bring in apprentice drivers on their own.
At DOT Foods, one of the participating companies, transportation director Dave Hess said he doesn’t mind putting 18 to 20-year-olds on interstates as long as they can prove themselves.
“We won’t put anyone who can’t handle equipment and be safe on the road,” Hess said. “You have people in their 45s who are immature. So it really depends on the people, their skills, their understanding of the world. [Department of Transportation] the law. “
When the apprenticeship program was first proposed, advocates of safety. including the National Transportation Safety Board, which quickly raised the red flag. Teenage driver can be easily distracted. They have a higher accident rate. Research has found that younger drivers are more likely to disregard the dangers.
The dangers of the road are a frequent topic of discussion at Williamsport High.
“Sometimes going downhill is dangerous,” says Hewitt. “Your 80,000 pound car – could kill anyone.”
Tucker Bubacz was the inspiration for the trucking class at Williamsport High School. To this day, vice principal Adam Parry considers it the “Tucker program.”
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Bubacz, who learned to drive a tractor as a child, is very worried about other drivers.
“You can be the best driver there, but there are always some bad drivers that can screw something up,” he said.
Younger workforce could be a good fit for the industry
There are several benefits to having young people behind the wheel.
Recent high school graduates often have fewer family responsibilities. Their bodies have yet to withstand the wear and tear of working life.
They can bring fresh energy to an aging workforce.
While Bubacz thought he would choose to take the truck for the day, Hewitt imagined a life of his own on the road.
“You can sleep anywhere inside your truck, as long as you’re at a truck stop or somewhere on the side of the road – whatever you want to look at at night,” he says.
Seniors Peter Vilas Novas and Joshua Hewitt chat in the cabin of the van they are studying in. Both thought they wanted to get into the long haul trucking business when they got their commercial driver’s licenses.
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Their classmate Peter Vilas Novas sees the truck ride as a way to see the country.
He said: “Just travel, visit places while doing your job and earn money.
High on his list – California.
