Allegheny County residents can now earn a Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) for free through the Goodwill of Southwestern Pennsylvania’s latest YouthWorks program.
YouthWorks, launched in 1994, aims to help youth in the Greater Pittsburgh area become work-ready and career-focused.
The CDL Program offers the Class A license training course at the Community College of Allegheny County Boyce Campus for students aged 18 to 24. It can be completed in about eight weeks.
“Through this program, Goodwill is simultaneously jump-starting an effort to revive the truck-driving industry in Southwest Pennsylvania and solve the bus driver shortage, as well as providing employment opportunities to Allegheny County young adults,” Goodwill of Southwestern Pennsylvania’s CEO Monique McIntosh said.
The Pennsylvania Motor Truck Association estimates that as of May 2023, there was a shortage of approximately 4,000 truck drivers statewide. This past September, the Hempfield Area School District in Westmoreland County sent home letters detailing the shortage.
An August 2023 survey from HopSkipDrive, a ride service for kids, found that 92% of school leaders reported that bus driver shortages constrained their operations, up from 88% in last year's report and 78% in 2021. Among over 220 U.S. school leaders and staff sampled in the report, the primary reasons cited for the shortage were "issues recruiting new bus drivers" and retirements. Other explanations included driver pay, losing drivers to private industry and COVID-19 concerns.
“There is a tremendous need for CDL Drivers in today’s job market,” said Tiffanee Heywood, director of YouthWorks at Goodwill of Southwestern Pennsylvania. “This impactful training program provides the skills and credentials young people can use immediately to gain employment and provides a weekly stipend for the individuals while in training.”
Heywood said weekly stipends can be anywhere from $100 to $125 per week, including gas gift cards or bus passes for transportation to and from CCAC Boyce.
The CDL curriculum begins with training for the knowledge test — mandatory for obtaining a CDL permit. In the following weeks, participants practice maneuvering the trucks, becoming acclimated to the vehicles and preparing for the skills road test necessary to obtain a Class A CDL.
To be eligible, one must be 18 to 24, a resident of Allegheny County, have a valid Pa. Driver’s License and be out of school. High school diplomas or GEDs are not required.
Those interested in enrolling or learning more can call 412-632-1742 or email cassandra.confer@goodwillswpa.org.
