Truck drivers are still in high demand in Alabama, and a recent employment report shows online ads for the occupation ranked third behind retail sales and registered nurses.

Calhoun Community College has offered free commercial drivers license training courses in previous years, and it will do so again with a $26,500 grant awarded by the Alabama Craft Training Board. The grant will enable Calhoun to offer a five-week, 200-hour training course designed to prepare students to obtain a construction industry CDL.

“Students enrolled in the course will learn to operate trucks pulling trailers such as lowboys, dump trucks and concrete mixing trucks,” said Donna Bass, Calhoun workforce solutions project manager for CDL and online continuing education. “Upon successful completion, students will receive a Class A or B automatic license, which is required in the construction industry.”

Those interested in applying for the free training must be at least 18 for a Class B license or at least 21 for a Class A, as well as have a Social Security card.

Applicants must also have a commercial learner permit, motor vehicle report, Alabama Department of Transportation physical and medical card, and a chain of custody drug screen prior to the start of training. Costs associated with the requirements are the responsibility of the applicant.

For more information, contact Calhoun’s CDL department at 256-260-2462 or visit www.calhoun.edu/cdl.

In-demand occupation

According to the American Trucking Associations, there will be a shortage of 175,000 truck drivers by 2026. A report issued by the ATA last year stated more than 900,000 new drivers would need to be developed over the next 10 years to replace drivers who are retiring or leaving the industry.

Help Wanted Online Data released last month by the state Department of Labor showed there were 1,643 online ads placed for truck drivers during the month of December, which represented a 1.2 percent decrease from the previous year. The occupation, which has an average hourly wage of $19.99, still ranked third in terms of most needed.