Local CDL Class Already Paying Off For Graduates

Round Top Family Library hosted a commercial drivers license class put on by Smithville Workforce Training Center. Six students graduated from the class on April 24. One of those was Joshua Matus. He already found a job as a truck driver for U.S. Field Services in Giddings.

“Our first couple of days were computer based,” Matus said. “We had to go through a bunch of training videos and pass tests. Then we started in on the truck, from the ground up. What to look for before you even get into the cab. We learned basic shifting patterns and backing maneuvers.

“The backing maneuvers were quite interesting,” he said. “Unlike driving a pickup with a horse trailer or a fifth wheel where you have a back window to look out of, you have a 43 foot trailer with an enclosed cab. So you’re relying entirely on your side mirrors. There is no backup camera or anything like that.”

The students learned to drive a big rig with their instructor in the passenger seat, taking trips to the Pilot Truck Stop in Schulenburg.

“The last nine or ten days were entirely in the truck,” he said. “We took trips to La Grange, Bastrop, Elgin and Giddings, down backroads and everything – stopping, turning, shifting, downshifting, all that stuff. It re-inforced all the studying and built your confidence.”

Smithville Workforce Training Center offers the CDL program free of charge to those who qualify thanks to funding from the Federal Good Jobs Challenge Grant, Workforce Solutions Rural Capital Area, and the American Rescue Plan Act. Matus said the class gave him a great opportunity to change his career path. “A lot of these guys, myself included, are on fixed income at this point,” he said. “I think there’s something like 41 people in the pipeline to take future classes. Its getting a lot of attention, which is very good.”

To learn more about the various job training opportunities offered by Smithville Workforce Training Center, visit their website at www. smithvilleworkforcetrainingcenter. com.