Many of our students are in motor transport coming out of the Marines and are looking for a good way to transition into civilian life with the skills that they have learned.

“The challenge I faced on choosing a vocational school was that I am a mechanic and a lot of the jobs I was looking at to be a mechanic had a prerequisite of ‘have to have a class A CDL’ which eased by decision to be part of California Career School.”

“I feel the most valuable asset a school can have is a knowledgeable staff and instructors, which CCS definitely has.”

Garrette plans to move back to Louisiana after his separation from the military. “[W]ith the training I have received and the assistance in job placement, I will be successful.”

Congratulations to Garrette on successfully obtaining his commercial class A license! We wish you the best!

“A buddy of mine told me about the course, so we came out and talked with Instructor Ward. Ward gave me information on the course and walked me through the tuition assistance program. So with a positive impression about the school I decided to spend the Marine Corps’ money for something positive.”

“[I] got a lot of options,” Nick said. It could be jumping into the truck driving over the road or going back home to get his associate’s degree in criminal justice to become a state trooper. He is currently a military police officer and security and commercial truck knowledge packs a powerful combo. “Just one more thing on my resume!”

For the holidays he wants to spend time with his family and kids. He told us what his kids thought about him being a truck driver, “[My son] thinks it’s pretty neat!” Nick said he would definitely have him sit in the cab, “He’d get a kick out of it!”

We asked him: what did you immediately want to do? “Relax a bit,” he told us, “then hit the ground running again.” Now that he has many options for his career, we wish him luck in all of his future endeavors. Congrats again Nick!

Was there anything during your experience with CCS that was surprising or unexpected?

“That I got through so fast.” – Travis Johnson

“The steering wheel was an eye opener. It takes more to keep the rig straight.” – Johnathon Allen

“I was able to go at my own pace, not everyone else’s.” – Matt Ockerman

Describe a moment that stands out about your training.

“The downshift moment, when I was finally able to shift down to 3rd gear. I felt totally ready to pass my drive test and I did.” – Michael Davies

“My light bulb moment was during backing the truck. Knowing where the trailer goes when you turn the wheel in either direction.” – Luis Quintero-Espinoza

“Driving, when I first drove. I felt I was doing the right thing, felt like something I wanted to make a career out of.” – Raul Gastelum

All of these graduates have commercial class A driver licenses after successfully completing their training at our Oceanside and Twentynine Palms contract training locations or at our Anaheim corporate office. Congratulations to you all once again and we wish you the best!

Having been deployed numerous times, Steve Kovacs endured several hurdles before finally being able to complete his CDL. On top of this, he told us, “I was 183 miles from the school and had to run another household.”

“I just wanted to get my CDL to have a backup when I was going to come off active duty,” said Steve.

After all this time, he finally passed his test for class A and the passenger endorsement, both back to back one day after the other. “Just listen to your instructor, they know what they are doing,” he shared. “[It's] a very good military school with flexible options… very satisfied, will definitely recommend [California Career School].”

Last time we spoke with him, he had obtained a pre-hire with a large carrier shortly after his graduation.

We want to congratulate Steve for enduring towards his goal and then very immediately finding a job afterwards!

Staff members Sarah Bantay and Marcelle Gerard, among many who regularly interact with our students, agreed, “Reggie would come in nearly every day on his lunch break just to get onto the computer and fill out as many applications as he could… He was always positive and always doing his best not to be discouraged by the difficulties that he was dealing with.”

Reggie with his instructors Ken and Robert

Reggie was in the lobby telling his story to a new class that had just started this week. One student expressed that he is someone truly inspiring for everyone. Students with similar backgrounds now felt that if he could do it, so could they.

During his interview with the employer, he took a very short driving test at 5AM that lasted less than five minutes. Reggie asked a couple of questions regarding double clutch and what the shifting patterns were. His interviewer answered the questions verbally– Reggie took those directions and put them in action with confidence and ease.

Marcelle described Reggie’s new employer, “They acknowledged his honesty and willingness to learn and accept any kind of work they had available even if it wasn’t a driver– and then hired him as a driver!”

We are all very excited and want to remind Reggie to always keep going and moving forward. We wish him good luck always in his future endeavors!

Weeks ago, he told our placement coordinator Marcelle Gerard, “I’ve decided to take ***** up on his offer. Training starts Nov. 28th. I’d like to thank you guys for being the stepping stone between my military service and my next career move.”

For Hugo, Marcelle wanted to share, “It is not often that someone’s first interaction with a company is in person and not through an online application. Upon first being introduced to this hiring company, Hugo met the recruiting manager who would be one of the deciding factors affecting his offer of employment.” This was at a presentation made just for our students and graduates.

“It’s personal right from the beginning,” Marcelle continued. “This company gets the feel for you in person as opposed to just looking at a resume. We are appreciative of the visits that they make to provide presentations and chances for meeting our students. Without this opportunity, our students succeed with less limitations for their future. I am so happy that Hugo has found a home with this company and that we were able to support him along his own path to success!”

She touched base with him shortly after and Hugo replied, “Everything is going great! I’m in my 2nd week of training. It’s almost unreal how well they value their workers. Met the company president. [...] The compensation for our hard work is generous and benefits are excellent. It’s hard work but worth every bit of it. The promotions are there all it takes is time and hard work. I have full intentions on making this a career. “

John wanted to thank both of his instructors, Jose Ballesteros and Joseph Evins. “They’re all about the student learning.” He described Joseph as “smooth” and “breaks it down step by step.” Jose, on the other hand, is someone he felt was, “fact-based, fast-paced” and geared towards “fast learners.” To John, it was important to receive constructive criticism and this is something that Jose did not hesitate to provide. “Jose’s a trip,” he laughed. “They make a good team.”

“Right now,” he told us, “I’m still active duty. [...] I’m waiting for a transportation company in New York.” He had already sent in his resume and is hoping for the good news to come up soon.

“I would definitely recommend the school,” John said, citing our accreditation and flexibility with our Military students. “I enjoyed [the class]– it was fun to me. If I could do it all day, I would.”

Once again, congratulations to John for completing the course successfully and quickly. We wish him luck in his endeavors in New York!

Adam is now on a search for work and continues to remain positive in his endeavors. Good luck Adam and we wish you well!

A friend of his referred him to California Career School and through various meetings with the EDD, he found his way here. “At first I hesitated,” Victor said, unsure of what he wanted to do with his future. “To me, it’s like… let’s see– just a different career… Just want to make a living.”

Victor wanted to share a few more words. “Give it a try,” he said about California Career School. “I’ve been to other schools… The staff here are friendly… It’s a good school–very attentive.”

He went on to talk about his plans after graduation, “Whatever’s available– the options are there, you just have to look for it.”

Once again, congratulations Victor! We wish you well in your future endeavors!!

Congratulations Jacob!!
—

Eight years ago, Jacob Benson left his home in Liberia, Africa to pursue his dream of becoming a professional truck driver and find a way to help support the family he had just left behind.

Jacob dedicated the next few years to saving up money so that he could help his family get away from the war in Liberia. He worked diligently. Eventually, Jacob had sent enough money that his family was able to move out of Liberia and start a new life in the safety of Ghana. Once he knew that his loved ones were safe and well provided for, he was able to pursue his dream.

Jacob enrolled in trucking school. He completed his training, received his CDL and applied for a driving position with Swift Transportation. Although his application was approved, when it came time to complete Swift’s driving tests, Jacob found himself struggling. “The experience I got in training wasn’t enough.” Jacob stated, “I had my license but the type of transmission I was used to driving was not up to their standards.” Swift recommended that Jacob reapply after completing some additional training.

Disappointed but determined to succeed, Jacob had a realization. He explained, “I found California Career School a few years ago. A truck class was training in a lot behind my house. I stopped and talked to the instructor, Robert, about my plans to become a truck driver. I wasn’t ready at the time but he told me to contact the school as soon as I was… and that is how I ended up at California Career School.”

At enrollment, Jacob explained his situation. Since he had already obtained his CDL, it was agreed that the classroom time and permit study would be redundant. Jacob was given credit for the first two weeks of the program and joined his classmates once they were ready to head out on the road. “The training offered here was so much better.” Jacob said “At my previous school, I was trained on an 8 speed, 28 foot trailer. Here, we train only on full size trailers with 10 speed manual transmission. My first day training here I said, ‘wow, backing a 48 foot truck is very different than backing a 28 foot truck.’” He continued, “I was also able to drive on the freeways here. I was never given that opportunity at the other school. Robert made sure to let me practice in the real situations that I will face as a professional trucker.”

Jacob met with his placement coordinator early in training to get started on the pre-hire process. He applied for driving positions with Swift Transportation, Werner Enterprises, Gordon Trucking Inc., CRST, Schneider, Covenant Transport, US Xpress and Stevens Transportation. Jacob wanted to choose a company that he would stay with for the duration of his career, so he began researching each of the carriers to find his perfect fit. Jacob explained, “I looked at each company’s policies, how well and how long they train you and I read the testimonies of their drivers. I also looked at what kind of equipment they provided and whether or not they upgraded it on a regular basis.”

Ultimately, all (yes, ALL) of the carriers he applied for responded and offered him a position with their company. Jacob had already decided that he would like to work for Covenant Transportation. He smiled and said, “My first choice was Covenant and I am sticking to it.”

Jacob just completed his training with Covenant and stopped by to visit while he was in town waiting to be assigned a truck. He told me stories from the road and talked about the different kinds of weather conditions he had encountered while driving with his mentor. Jacob has finally achieved his goal! I asked what he planned to do next. Without hesitation, Jacob replied, “Once I have driven for one year, by the grace of God, I am going to buy my own truck and become an owner operator. Then I will come back to visit and show you my truck. I couldn’t have done this without you.”

Before leaving, there was one more update that Jacob wanted to share… he had just received his legal resident status and would finally be able to visit his family in Liberia!!!

What an exciting couple of months it’s been!!! Congratulations Jacob from all of us at California Career School! We are so fortunate to have been given the opportunity to share in your success. Good luck out there! We are looking forward to your next update!!!

“I would recommend California Career School to anybody that wants to be a professional truck driver. I would like to thank the instructors for their efficiency and the administration for being very professional, helpful and kind towards me and everybody that I trained with.”
–Jacob Benson

Author: Rachel Herold