Placer School for Adults, Western Pacific Truck School launch training program in Auburn

Placer School for Adults partnered with Western Pacific Truck School to launch a truck-driving license program on its campus in Auburn. Steven Casperite, Placer School for Adults assistant principal, said discussions regarding the program were initiated following a conversation with Western Pacific, which was looking to bring a truck-driving school to the area, to which he confirmed, "We'd love to have you at our school." The program is a four-week course with classroom study to learn the written portion of the permit test in the first week and three weeks of field training with a truck provided by Western Pacific. Bryna Carter, an admissions rep with Western Pacific, said students learn pre-trip, safety and airbrakes of the truck in their second week, skills like maneuvering and parallel parking the truck in week three and are out on the road driving in the fourth. The program's inaugural class, which began May 22, is in its third week of training and will graduate June 23. Placer School for Adults and Western Pacific held an open house Tuesday for interested individuals to learn more about the program. While providing an overview of the program, Carter shared local students like Jacob Shisler, who recently enrolled in the program's second class, will no longer have to drive to Sacramento to receive training. Shisler said he had previous experience driving a commercial box truck and moving freight and decided to make a career of it. "I enjoy just the driving. I could do this for a living," Shisler said. "I just did a basic Google search for a truck-driving school and they had high reviews so that was that." According to Carter, each class has four students. The truck will hold four students and the instructor, so the entire class trains together. Instructor Ray "Sugar Ray" Leonard said the program will teach students the basics to assist them with passing the DMV test and securing a job. "We teach them how to pass the DMV test," he said. "They are not truck drivers when they leave here. They become truck drivers when they get their first job and they go out with the trainer. We are focused on how to pass the DMV test, which is, it's simple but it's not easy." Leonard, who previously owned the 76 station at the Foresthill Road exit in Auburn and has past ties to the Auburn Chamber of Commerce, said teaching in Auburn is a full-circle moment. "All these years later - 35 years later - here I am back in Auburn driving a truck around where I used to deliver (to) customers. It's really kind of cool," Leonard said. Carter said once students complete their course, instructors will schedule students' DMV appointments and meet them at DMV so they can take their behind-the-wheel test in the truck they practiced in. Casperite said tuition for the program is $7,600, but students can receive assistance by having tuition fully covered by the Golden Sierra Workforce Board if they meet criteria, qualify for available funding if they are a veteran or child of a veteran or secure funding up front through a credit union that works with Western Pacific that can be paid back 60 days after completing the course. "... But the good news is at the end of that four weeks, there's a 90-percent chance that you will have a job starting at $60,000 a year," he said. Additionally, Casperite said the partnership with Western Pacific will be expanding to also provide a commercial bus-driving license program on the Placer School for Adults campus. Individuals interested in pursuing a trucking career can find more information on the training program at wptruckschool.com.