DRUMRIGHT, Okla. (OBV) – Qualified drivers continue to be in short supply for the trucking industry, but Central Technology Center is working to get more truck drivers on Oklahoma roads.
Central Technology Center, a public career and technology education center in Drumright that is part of the Oklahoma CareerTech system, has a statewide Class A Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) training program that is working to address the national truck driver shortage, which impacts multiple industries.
“Everything you use is touched by a truck,” said John Thorpe, director of Truck Driver Training at Central Tech. “From groceries to fuel to medical supplies, the need for drivers is constant. And we are here to make sure Oklahoma is prepared.”
A report from altLINE, a division of the Southern Bank Company, shows that the U.S. is short approximately 24,000 professional truck drivers. The deficiency costs the nation’s freight industry around $95.5 million each week.
The national truck driver shortage could rise to 160,000 by 2030. A million new drivers are needed over the next decade to address the demand, according to American Trucking Associations (ATA) officials.
Central Tech operates 16 Class A CDL training locations across the state. Locations include Alva, Drumright, Durant, El Reno, Enid, Fairview, Idabel, Oklahoma City, Okmulgee, Omega, Ponca City, Poteau, Shawnee, Stillwater, Wetumka and Woodward.
“We doubled the size of ours schools in about two years to serve more people statewide,” Thorpe said.
Thorpe spoke with Oklahoma Business Voice about the training that Central Tech’s Class A CDL students receive.
The Class A CDL course is 28 days and provides aspiring truck drivers an average of 220 hours of education, including online curriculum and behind the wheel training, to ensure they know how to operate a semi-truck safely and professionally before entering the workforce.
Those 220 hours of Class A CDL education include 60 hours of driving a semi-truck.
“I bet we are one of five schools in the nation that provide 60-plus hours per driver. That is the person sitting in the driver seat with both hands on the steering wheel,” Thorpe said.
The training is thorough and emphasizes professional skill development, according to Thorpe.
“We don’t just teach people how to pass the CDL exam,” Thorpe said. “We train them to become professional drivers who are safe, skilled, and ready to go to work. That is why we have a 99 percent job placement rate.”
Central Tech is doing everything it can to help grow the truck driver workforce, even lowering course tuition from $4,800 to $4,300, Thorpe said.
Class A CDL students at Central Tech’s Drumright and Enid locations receive free housing while taking the 28-day course, Thorpe said.
The training is so comprehensive that it doesn’t end once a student receives their Class A CDL.
“At our school, when they get their CDL, they spend another week behind the wheel training, getting another 300 to 400 miles behind the wheel with long-road trips and night drives,” Thorpe said. “They go from driving unloaded to loaded trailers after they get their CDL so they get that professional driving experience.”
The training program has seen sustained growth over the past few years, training 382 drivers in fiscal year 2023 and 521 drivers in 2024. Central Tech officials project training 650 drivers this year, and aim to train 2026 and 900 in 2027.
Go to the Central Tech website for more information on CDL training at Central Tech.
