Have you seen our trucks traveling the Eastern Shore or in our parking are along U.S. Route 50? For 18 years, Chesapeake College has offered truck driving through the Office of Continuing Education and Workforce Training.

The trucks, previously parked off-site, are now housed on campus and visible from the highway.

Director of Technology Training Bob Faiella said more than 50 students complete Chesapeake’s truck driving program each year. Both Class A and Class B Commercial Truck Driving Licenses are available through the program. In addition, Chesapeake offers school bus driver training.

The six-week and 10-week courses consists of 240 hours of training. Currently, the college has four tractor-trailer rigs and a school bus for students to use.

“We’ve generations of families come through our program and business send multiple employees here for training,” Mr. Faiella said.  “About 95 percent of our students earn the Class A license, with about a third adding the school bus endorsement.”

Private companies and government agencies regularly turn to Chesapeake for employee truck driver training. Clients include the Department of Natural Resources and the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Authority.

The training program is eligible for both Veteran’s Benefits and funding through the Workforce Investment Act. For more information about the program, click here.