CDL school born out of need

Gail Parsons, Abilene Reflector-Chronicle, Kan.
·3 min read

Sep. 26—Paul Heidel, owner of Heidel Trucking Inc., was fed up with having unqualified applicants applying to be truck drivers. So, he started Central Plains CDL to train people seeking a commercial driver's license

"Really, I implemented this because I was tired of having drivers come to me in a fog and actually couldn't even hook up trailers, a couple of them didn't know where their hoses go, couldn't even shift the truck but somehow they managed to get a license through some other educational program," Heidel said.

Central Plains CDL, 3308 Fair Road, Abilene, will start in October training a small group of prospective truck drivers. However, unlike other CDL courses, this one will also provide special training in the operation of agriculture vehicles.

"Grain hoppers and belt trailers, cattle, hogs — I've got some older equipment that I don't really want out on the road but that would be great for training vehicles for them to at least experience a little bit before they get out on the road," he said. "There's plenty of ... freight drivers, there's just not a lot of younger clients that want to go into agriculture industry."

By providing the hands-on experience and opening a door to an entirely different part of the industry, Heidel is hoping to train a new generation of drivers and fill a growing gap.

"There is a real shortage with the specialty trailers and ... manual transmissions," he said. "A lot of companies are going to automatics but the agriculture industry is still hanging on with the manual transmissions because of the off-road situation, the gravel road travel."

Qualifications and training

Prospective students must pass a drug test, have a medical card, and be at least 18 years old, although they cannot drive across state lines until age 21.

"They can get a lot of early experience just staying in the state of Kansas running some local grain trailers to various elevators and terminals," Heidel said. "They may not be home every night — could be home some. (We're trying) to create that lifestyle that it takes to be a CDL driver. And it's not for everybody ... they may go through school and then change their course in life where they're more of a local driver."

Central Plains CDL has qualified with the state to be a third-party tester, which means once a person graduates the school, they will be handed the paperwork to get their CDL.

Heidel said when he first started going through the certification course for the school, he didn't think being a third-party tester was a big deal, but then he started learning the state of Kansas doesn't just hand out that privilege to anyone and schools can lose it.

"I don't want to train people to pass a test," he said. "I want to train them to drive a truck. That's really the lifestyle I'm wanting to get implemented in their training, going through our school."

Heidel's said his goal isn't just to make money and open a school.

"We are doing it because we want to service the industry and putting qualified entry level drivers out there that have ... at least the basic knowledge to get started in agriculture," he said. "To me, that's the biggest thing. For us here in Kansas agriculture economics is huge — cattle, grain, hay, everything that's around."

To learn more about Central Plains CDL school, visit https://centralplainscdl.com. The school is also hosting an open house 5-7 p.m. Sept. 27. People can RSVP at 785-388-2223.