OVERLAND PARK, Kan. — Yellow Corporation is adding two new driving academies to its stable of 14 schools to prepare the next generation of professional truck drivers for careers in transportation.
The new academies are in Marietta, Georgia, and Cincinnati, both of which are considered gateways to the South and Midwest.
“We’re pleased to offer additional driver training locations,” Darren Hawkins, Yellow chief executive officer, said. “Our goal is to train 1,000 new drivers through our academies this year. Our drivers are top shelf and trained by the best.”
Yellow’s Driving Academies are owned and operated by the company. Its driving professionals provide student instruction and peer-to-peer mentorship.
“Everything we teach emphasizes safety: safety of our drivers, colleagues, customers and the driving public. That remains our top priority,” Hawkins said.
Students enrolled in the academies are provided classroom training combined with hands-on, behind-the-wheel instruction with experienced safety professionals. The program is tuition-free for all participants.
At the completion of their instruction, trainees sit for the commercial driver’s license test and, upon passage, complete their initial apprenticeship training with veteran Yellow drivers. When all driving qualifications are met, graduates will join Yellow’s team of 14,000 professional drivers.
“For anyone aspiring to a career that provides a good salary and full benefits that gets them on the open road and not behind a desk, trucking is a smart choice,” Hawkins said. “Many of our drivers spend their entire careers with Yellow.”
Some in the U.S. trucking industry say there is a shortage of drivers needed to keep pace with the high demand of goods ordered by consumers and manufacturers. According to the American Trucking Associations, the industry is currently 80,000 drivers short and will need another one million drivers over the next decade to replace those drivers who retire or exit the industry.
Yellow has 16 established Driving Academies nationwide: Marietta, Georgia; Charlotte, North Carolina; Chicago; Cincinnati; Cleveland; Denver; Fort Worth, Texas; Hagerstown, Maryland; Indianapolis; Kansas City, Kansas; Memphis, Tennessee; Nashville; Pico Rivera, California; Portland, Oregon; Salt Lake City; and South Bend, Indiana. The Company plans to open additional locations in 2022.
Yellow’s 16 Driving Academies are certified as Department of Labor apprenticeship programs. The Department of Labor apprenticeship program is designed to provide paid on the job training while workers train for a highly skilled job.
Learn more about the Yellow Driving Academy: https://www.myyellow.com/us/en/careers/driving-academy.
The Trucker News Staff produces engaging content for not only TheTrucker.com, but also The Trucker Newspaper, which has been serving the trucking industry for more than 30 years. With a focus on drivers, the Trucker News Staff aims to provide relevant, objective content pertaining to the trucking segment of the transportation industry. The Trucker News Staff is based in Little Rock, Arkansas.
