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Twenty-one year old Edwin Barinas of Newark has dreams of buying a home, operating a restaurant, or even owning his own trucking company someday. With bus ticket in hand, and a CDL license in his pocket, Edwin is on the road to turning his dreams into a reality.
Shortly after completing his training at the OCNJ Driving School, Edwin was hired by Arrow Trucking Company of Tulsa, Okla., to be a long haul truck driver, moving cargo across the country. He’s excited about the career opportunity and about seeing the country for the first time, but mostly he anticipates making the kind of money that will bring him closer to his goals.
OCNJ Driving School Manager John Kerwin says that 90 percent of the students who complete their training are finding steady, well-paid employment as truck and bus drivers with large transportation companies. Truck driving, particularly long-distance driving, is considered a growth industry with tremendous salary potential after one year. Edwin is just one example of driving school students attaining their CDL license and then obtaining employment shortly thereafter.
Jerry Battle spent a career driving vehicles for a living, all the while dreaming of becoming a long-haul driver but limited to local driving to be close to his family. Now, with the responsibilities of raising four children now behind him, Jerry, 48, decided that the time was right to pursue his dream. That was when he noticed a bus shelter ad advertising “Make Big Bucks Driving Trucks” on the corner of Market and Broad Streets in Newark.
“I am so grateful for the opportunity that OCNJ afforded me,” said Jerry, shortly after receiving his CDL license and before heading to his new employer, Swift Transportation, for his truck-driving orientation. “The instructors at OCNJ were so good I was able to get my CDL license very quickly.” A job offered soon followed. He says he hopes to own his own trucking company one day.
Thanks to a grant from The Prudential Foundation, which is funding training for Newark residents to obtain their CDL license, others will be following in the footsteps of Jerry and Edwin and looking forward to a bright future.
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