On the Road to Success
MDOC partnership with Metro Detroit training school helps meet need in truck driving industry
Early last year, Cesar Redondo had more trucks than he would have liked off the road and parked in the garage of his freight shipping and trucking company.
But their inactivity wasn’t from lack of business. Redondo needed qualified drivers behind the wheel.
That changed this year as he has found skilled drivers to keep shipments moving through a partnership that is preparing returning citizens for work as commercial truck drivers.
In 2017, the Michigan Department of Corrections approached the Romulus-based Suburban Truck Driver Training School about working together to teach commercial truck driving to individuals on parole and help them find jobs in the burgeoning industry.
Vern Fuller, consultant for the training school, said he reached out to carriers to gauge their interest and found a number of them were open to hiring returning citizens.
That included Redondo, owner of OBX Logistics in Romulus, who said he has hired about a dozen returning citizens so far.
“I tell them, I don’t care what you did in the past as long as you want a second chance,” he said.
The growing economy has helped many businesses in the industry expand and has opened up doors for returning citizens, said Lara Dowdy, director of Suburban Truck Driver Training School.
“The need is huge,” Fuller said.
The state’s Bureau of Labor Market Information identified truck driving as one of the state’s high-demand, high-wage occupations through 2026 with 6,870 annual job openings.
So far, about 50 returning citizens have been through the program, which has had 100 percent job placement. Of those who have been through the program, 96 percent remain employed in jobs in the industry.
The 162 hours of training at the training school includes time in the classroom, as well as hands-on learning in driving a truck. In addition to those technical skills, students in the program also learn soft skills such as resume writing, interview skills, communication, customer relations and how to dress professionally.
“We tell them, even though you are a driver, there is a lot more to the job than that,” Dowdy said.
The MDOC is also offering CDL training to prisoners through a virtual simulator at the Vocational Village at Parnall Correctional Facility, and it has partnered with West Michigan companies on a similar training program for parolees in that region since 2016. About 25 returning citizens have completed the West Michigan training program, which also has had 100 percent job placement. About 92 percent have continued to work in the industry.
Fuller said the program wouldn’t be as successful as it is without the strong partnerships that have been created with those in the industry. It has continued to flourish as more companies experience success in hiring returning citizens.
“They are making some of the best employees,” Fuller said. “Partner carriers are telling us if you have more guys like this, send us five more.”
Tim Johnson, owner of ATMJ Trucking, said he has hired about six returning citizens through the program and all have been good employees.
He said there is a tremendous need for drivers in the industry and he encourages other carriers to consider hiring returning citizens through the program.
“It’s all about getting people with experience,” Johnson said.
Dowdy and Fuller said the close partnership that has developed with the MDOC has been beneficial and they have also had the opportunity to team up with area parole agents to help ensure students under supervision are successful.
Fuller and Dowdy said it is rewarding to see students, especially those who are returning citizens, experience success. It is also rewarding to see smaller companies have the opportunity to grow after tapping into a pipeline of returning citizens who are motivated to learn and perform well, he said.
“You’re going to get out of it what you put into it,” Dowdy said. “They get so proud. That’s the part that’s so rewarding — seeing them reach their goals.”
