WorldLink Truck Driving Academy and Arkansas Baptist College’s Adult Education Program are working together to help students break into the trucking industry.
Recently, flatbed driver Marcus Yarbrough, a graduate of WorldLink Truck Driving Academy, returned to the school in North Little Rock, Arkansas to speak with current students. Yarbrough, who completed the four-week program and earned his CDL this spring, has been working for Jordan Carriers since April. During his talk, he emphasized the importance of staying focused and following instructions in order to succeed as the next generation of truck drivers.
Through their partnership, WorldLink and Arkansas Baptist College hope to replicate Yarbrough’s successful entry into the trucking industry. This collaboration aims to diversify the pool of truck drivers by promoting the academy to students enrolled in the HBCU’s Adult Education Program.
Yarbrough, with 27 years of experience manufacturing military-grade weapons for Lockheed Martin, is still getting accustomed to his new life as a long-haul trucker. Despite being on the road all week, he is able to make it home to Camden, Arkansas, in time to spend his weekends with his wife, Demetria, daughter, Kyana, and 1-year-old granddaughter, Kyari.
“The most I’m away from home is two weeks at a time,” Yarbrough said. “Getting adapted to not being at home every night, that’s the only hard part about it … not being able to touch them. We FaceTime and talk, but it’s just different than touching your family. That’s the hardest part right now.”
Federal Funding Supports Trucking Recruitment at Arkansas Baptist College
Arkansas Baptist College’s Adult Education Program is utilizing federal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families funding to connect low-income residents with job opportunities in the trucking industry.
In addition to training aspiring commercial truck drivers (CDL applicants), the program also offers support for those interested in becoming medical assistants or welders, according to Adult Education Director Debra Baker.
The program has already seen success, with one graduate from the partnership now actively searching for employment. Two more students are currently being considered for enrollment at WorldLink, while three others have received TANF funding to attend Pine Bluff Truck Driving School.
“Our goal would be to have eight of them complete the program in the next year,” Baker said.
A Successful Business Pivot and Some Valuable Advice
WorldLink founders, Gladys and Gary Godley, initially ventured into the world of entrepreneurship with a single-truck carrier operation. Despite facing the common driver retention challenges in the industry, they made a significant decision to tackle this issue head-on. In 2021, they established an academy aimed at boosting the driver pipeline.
“We decided to pivot,” Gladys Godley said. “Rather than have a trucking company, we decided to go into a truck driving school and train drivers.”
In a bid to entice more individuals into the world of truck driving, Yarbrough proposes a critical examination of wages.
In a bid to entice more individuals into the world of truck driving, Yarbrough proposes a critical examination of wages. He recalls how an offer of $1,100 a week as an inexperienced trainee sealed the deal for him at Jordan. Impressed by the company’s commitment to fulfilling their promises, he remains a loyal employee.
“From my experience with Jordan, what they say is what they do,” he said.
Source: Trucking Dive
Photo: Marcus Yarbrough
