With mounting college debt and stagnant wages impacting younger workers, a surprising trend is emerging in Waco, Texas. Generation Z, those born between 1997 and 2012, is increasingly turning to trucking as a viable and rewarding career option.

According to ACE Driving Academy, a leading CDL training school in Waco, 45% of its recent graduates now belong to Gen Z. This represents a significant departure from industry norms, where the average age of a truck driver stands at 46, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

“We’re seeing more young people choose trucking because it’s a career that pays well and doesn’t require a college degree,” said Eddy Hooker, school manager at ACE. “Gen Z wants something real; a job that gives them freedom, stability, and a good paycheck. Trucking offers all of that.”

Why Trucking Appeals to Gen Z

Trucking offers competitive salaries, with professional drivers earning between $76,000 and $95,000 annually, according to an ACE press release. The profession also provides upward mobility, including opportunities to become owner-operators or to specialize through endorsements. Unlike many traditional career paths that require a four-year degree, CDL training at ACE Driving Academy takes just four weeks, enabling recent graduates to start earning quickly.

“Many younger students are also drawn to the independence and mobility that comes with a trucking lifestyle, as well as the opportunity to explore the country while building financial stability,” ACE stated.

With Gen Z now making up 30% of the total workforce, the growing interest in trucking could address longstanding industry challenges like aging workers and driver shortages.

Trusted Career Training

ACE Driving Academy is part of the Driver Resource Center (DRC) network, which has trained over 50,000 professional truck drivers. Students at ACE benefit from tuition assistance, job placement services, and partnerships with leading carriers nationwide, ensuring a smooth transition into the workforce.

For more information about ACE Driving Academy’s CDL program, click here or call 254-340-6615.

Whether you’re drawn to trucking for its promising pay, independence, or quick entry into the workforce, ACE Driving Academy is ready to help you get on the road to success.

Source: The Trucker
Source: ACE Driving Academy

The post Waco CDL School Experiences Surge in Gen Z Interest in Trucking appeared first on Truck Drivers USA.

The U.S. trucking industry is still short around 60,000 drivers, according to the American Trucking Association. For Badilla, that shortage became an open door.

“I have an opportunity to do something positive for my life,” he told CBS News. “It feels great to be free.”

Freedom has a deeper meaning for Badilla. After spending nearly nine years in federal prison on drug charges, his return to society came with a new battle: finding a job.

“When you come out of prison, you feel like all the doors are locked,” he said. “Nobody wants to give you a job.”

That reality isn’t unique. Roughly 60% of formerly incarcerated individuals are still unemployed four years after release, according to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Nearly 70% return to prison, based on data from the Department of Justice. The cycle of recidivism is hard to break without meaningful work and opportunity.

Badilla’s turning point came through a unique CDL training initiative—The Commercial Driver’s License Workforce Development Program. It’s a partnership between New York City’s Mayor’s Office of Criminal Justice and Emerge Career, a tech-driven education company focused on helping low-risk, formerly incarcerated people find jobs in trucking.

The program equips participants with the skills to earn their CDL and connects them with motor carriers across the country. It’s not just about finding a job—it’s about creating a sustainable career path in a field that desperately needs skilled, committed drivers.

“When you put more barriers in somebody’s pathway, they don’t see a way to actually make an honest living and that doesn’t benefit them, but it also really doesn’t benefit society,” said Deanna Logan, director of the Mayor’s Office for Criminal Justice. “They paid their debt to society and now they need to come back.”

Logan emphasized that trucking stood out as both practical and profitable for those re-entering the workforce.

“We looked at what was lucrative and accessible to people who are coming back from incarceration,” she said. “We don’t have enough people who are skilled, and it’s a very skilled profession… It gave [the formerly incarcerated] a really big opportunity to be part of the communities that they knew they did harm to.”

While some taxpayers may be skeptical about the program’s funding, Logan made a clear point.

“If I have you incarcerated on Rikers, I have to pay for [the] facility, the officers, the food,” she said. “Whereas, when I take a person and give them opportunity, they pay taxes. So now, we as a society are getting taxpayer revenue from a person that is not in a box on a shelf.”

Emerge Career co-founder Uzoma “Zo” Orchingwa sees it as a matter of equity and belief in human potential.

“Our people are just looking for someone that believes in them and someone that can give them a legit chance,” Orchingwa said. “These are people that — for the most part — have not had a fair shot for being able to be successful and contributing citizens. They just need that one opportunity that’s going to support them.”

And the program is showing real results. In the 2024 fiscal year, 94% of enrollees graduated, with all of them receiving job offers averaging $75,000 per year. So far, 260 individuals have completed the program—and every one of them is a step closer to a stable, meaningful career behind the wheel.

“When folks are getting access to job opportunities and income, they’re going to stay out of prison,” said Orchingwa. The program isn’t just about training drivers. It’s about building a future.

For Badilla, it means having the freedom to chart his own course.

“A bird is free,” he said.

Source: CBS News

The post From Prison to the Open Road: How One CDL Program Is Rebuilding Lives and Filling Driver Seats appeared first on Truck Drivers USA.

“There’s nothing better than sitting over in that passenger seat and watching the driver over here and seeing that big old smile because they just did something,” Hallada said. “They accomplished a maneuver they never thought they could do.”

Addressing the Truck Driver Shortage

The trucking industry is facing a pressing need for skilled drivers, with hundreds of thousands of job openings expected yearly. Veriha Trucking’s academy offers a comprehensive training program designed to prepare individuals for careers on the road. The program combines classroom learning with hands-on driving experience to give students the skills they need for the job.

“We not only teach you the fundamentals of driving a truck, but we teach you how to drive a truck,” Hallada emphasized. “How to survive out on the road, how to pick up loads. The day-to-day operation of the truck.”

Financial Support Makes Training Accessible

Tim Kordula, the safety, training, and development director at Veriha, shared how the academy is making training more affordable for students.

“We just received a grant from the state of Wisconsin that will reimburse Wisconsin-resident students half of their tuition,” Kordula explained. “They can come here, get their CDL, and we’re going to reimburse them half their tuition. If they decide to stay on with Veriha, we will reimburse them the other half after a year.”

While the academy’s training program spans six weeks, students also receive four weeks of paid training once they join the Veriha team, which has helped boost retention rates.

A Personalized Approach to Training

Veriha’s academy isn’t just for over-the-road drivers. For Joe Krueger, co-owner of Chipper Guys Tree Service in Wausaukee, the academy was a way to enhance his family business by earning his CDL.

“It’s not like a big tech school where you’re getting grouped in with a bunch of people,” Krueger shared. “It’s a little more personalized.”

Preparing Drivers for Success

The ultimate goal at Veriha Driving Academy is to provide students with the skills and confidence to succeed as truck drivers.

“I believe we take it a step further and we actually turn these folks into living, breathing truck drivers,” Hallada said. “They’re going to be safe; they’re going to be productive and be able to do the job by the time we’re done with them.”

A Path to a Stable Career

Training programs like Veriha Driving Academy play a vital role in preparing the next generation of skilled drivers as the trucking industry continues to grow. With comprehensive training and real-world experience, individuals are equipped with the tools they need to pursue a long-term and successful career in trucking. For more information visit Veriha’s Website.

Source: Spectrum News 1
Image Source: Spectrum News 1/ Nathan Phelps

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