Register Now for CDL Class A Accelerated Training Program

Jefferson Community College (JCC) in partnership with the National Tractor Trailer School, Syracuse, is offering a 5-week CDL Class A Accelerated Training Program for anyone interested in preparing for a rewarding career in transportation. The program begins May 31, 2022. Classes will be held on JCC’s campus Monday through Friday from 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Upon successful completion, students will be eligible to take the Department of Transportation (DOT) CDL Class A license exam. Space is limited. Early registration is recommended. Deadline to apply is May 23, 2022.

The North Country shares the nationwide truck driver shortage. CDL-A is an in-demand career field. In the past 12 months, there have been over 50 job openings in Jefferson and Lewis Counties with an annual advertised median salary of $85,248 (EMSI, 2022). According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the job outlook for tractor-trailer truck drivers is expected to grow more than 6% through the year 2030 due to recovery from the COVID-19 recession and the need for truck drivers as households and businesses increase their spending online. Now is a great time to upskill and join the transportation industry by becoming a truck driver.

Students will complete 225 hours of CDL A training with 118 hours of classroom instruction and 107 hours of behind-the-wheel driving practice. DOT safety, rules and regulations, logbook training, backing maneuvers and road rides throughout the Watertown area are included. CDL A training prepares students to be qualified to drive an automatic or manual tractor trailer without any restrictions (i.e. tractor trailer, dump truck, straight truck, or snowplow to name a few). 

Director of Community Services Joanna C. Habermann says, “100% of the students who completed the CDL Class A training held in December 2021 at the Lewis County JCC Education Center passed their DOT CDL A exam. Already, participants are employed as drivers at the NYSDOT, Boonville Town Highway Department, and Plantz Trucking LLC thanks to the training they received as a result of the partnership between JCC and the National Tractor Trailer School.”

Tuition costs $7,150. Qualified applicants may be eligible for tuition funding.  

Prior to the start of training, students must take a DOT physical and drug test at their expense and show proof of COVID-19 vaccination and proof of COVID-19 booster when eligible. 

For more information, call the JCC Workforce Development Office at (315) 786-2233 or contact Kimberly Sather, Program Development Director, National Tractor Trailer School, at (315) 410-2207 or email ksather@ntts.edu. .