SALEM, Ore. — There are 325 new truck drivers in Oregon thanks to a $3.4 million grant from the Economic Development Administration’s Good Jobs Challenge.
The initiative, which began two years ago, has been dubbed “Driving Prosperity” and is led by Southwestern Oregon Workforce Investment Board in collaboration with Lane Workforce Partnership and Rogue Workforce Partnership.
According to Oregon officials, the program “has significantly improved the long-term employment outlook for Oregonians by offering free CDL training. As a result, these trained drivers have secured lucrative positions, effectively mitigating the state’s shortage of truck drivers.”
Without funding from The American Rescue Plan EDA Good Jobs Challenge, participants would face often unattainable out-of-pocket costs to obtain their CDL license.
“In the wake of the pandemic, there was such a shift in how we received our goods and services. We had such turmoil in the workforce in every capacity,” said Georgia Conrad, executive director of Oregon Workforce Partnership. “Finding that footing again, this year, was part of that solution. These Southern counties really stepped up to make this happen for the state, and it’s been really successful.”
Driving Prosperity participants can enter the trucking industry in just four weeks, gaining access to competitive wages, comprehensive benefits, including paid sick and vacation leave, 401K retirement plans, and medical, dental and vision coverage.
“Four to eight weeks of schooling and the cost to attend the schooling is about $5,000, in addition to the living costs that people have to pay for while they’re undergoing training,” Conrad said.
Amanda Larson, who earned her CDL through the program, said driving a big rig has made her feel more confident.
“It’s pretty amazing to be a 5-foot-tall woman hauling 80,000 pounds to a work site,” she said. “… I did something I never thought was possible, and then I ended up coming out on top.”
Born in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, and raised in East Texas, John Worthen returned to his home state to attend college in 1998 and decided to make his life in The Natural State. Worthen is a 20-year veteran of the journalism industry and has covered just about every topic there is. He has a passion for writing and telling stories. He has worked as a beat reporter and bureau chief for a statewide newspaper and as managing editor of a regional newspaper in Arkansas. Additionally, Worthen has been a prolific freelance journalist for two decades, and has been published in several travel magazines and on travel websites.
