The School Bus Safety Company has recently completed the creation of a training course to help applicants pass the written section of the CDL.
The training course uses a series of practice tests similar to the one applicants take at the DMV. Detailed answers to each question afford trainees the ability to review problem areas.
“A major hurdle in hiring enough drivers is helping them pass the CDL written test,” said Jeff Cassell, president of SBSC. “Many of our customers have been asking for help in reducing the number of applicants lost due to the complexity of the CDL written test.”
Cassell added that studying for the test can take anywhere from eight to 20 hours just to pass, which can be a “cumbersome” task to complete and, more often than not, “applicants drop out at this stage.”
“With our new interactive CD based training course, we have reduced this time to less than six hours and made it far easier to learn,” he said. “We put considerable thought into how to make this training more interesting and effective and in our testing of the finished product, the outcome has been excellent.”
The course is available online through a learning management system so applicants can access it at any location the Internet is provided. Applicants can also obtain a hard copy that includes eight interactive CDs, a trainer’s guide, a driver’s study guide and a book of practice tests.
A school district in Akron, Ohio, is the first to utilize the study guide. Bill Andexler, coordinator of transportation for Akron Public Schools, said that one of his on-board instructors, who used to work for the DMV, is impressed with the course that SBSC has put together, saying that it has exceeded all his expectations.
“Creating this course was far more difficult and extensive than we envisioned when we started. This really is needed and we hope to help many more interested applicants overcome this hurdle,” Cassell said. “There is no question that driver shortages are a major issue for most districts and contractors. If we can develop more applicants into successful drivers, we will reduce this problem.”
