New CDL training graduates (with certificates) are the first prisoners to go through the program. The training was provided by Hill Brothers Pro-Fleet CDL Driving Academy. (Nebraska Department of Correctional Services via Facebook)
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Holding new commercial driver licenses, a group of men incarcerated in a work-release corrections center in Lincoln, Neb., are the first such aspiring truck drivers in a program focused on their re-entry into society praised by Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen.
“Mission accomplished! These gentlemen are the first cohort of driver-trainees to graduate from the Hill Brothers Pro-Fleet CDL Driving Academy,” Pillen proclaimed a few weeks ago, shortly after the men received their CDLs.
Pillen, Lt. Gov. Joe Kelly and others attended a ceremony hosted by the Nebraska Department of Correctional Services celebrating a small group of incarcerated graduates who earned their CDLs through a cooperative effort by the NDCS, city of Lincoln and Hill Brothers Driving Academy to enable people to have good-paying jobs in trucking when they are released.
“This is proof-positive of what can be achieved through public-private partnerships,” Pillen said at the event. “Our hope would be to have this program grow — enabling more incarcerated individuals to have an opportunity for training in a career that supports their re-entry, their families and connects them in a positive way to their communities.”
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Rob Jeffreys, NDCS director, noted: “It is a remarkable time to come together and commend the first cohort graduating with a commercial driver’s license. We understand that successful reintegration to society hinges upon multiple factors. Gainful employment with livable wages is paramount.” The median wage for CDL holders in Lincoln is $84,410.
“Now we begin a career with the average earning wage of $84,000 annually,” said one of the graduates, who spoke during the ceremony but was unidentified. “It gives you something to look forward to. When you have a life that’s worth living, you’re afraid to lose it. You won’t break the law. You won’t do things that straddle the fence.”
Jeffreys said the CDL program recognizes the potential of those who re-enter communities after incarceration. He added that the graduates “possess remarkable talents and a genuine desire to succeed.”
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The five men were selected for the inaugural group after a meeting was held in January at the Community Corrections Center-Lincoln that was attended by more than 70 interested individuals. The selected students began their truck driver training orientation in April. They completed the same training process as all students at Pro-Fleet, including classroom training, road training and testing.
“From financial and time investment, to maximum earning potential, there is no other job that compares to being a professional truck driver,” said Al Hill, president of Hill Brothers and chairman of the Nebraska Trucking Association. “Today, we all take a moment to celebrate programs like this that will create more CDL drivers right here in Nebraska, which in turn helps all Nebraska companies.”
The program is supported by the city of Lincoln with funds from the American Rescue Plan Act. Lincoln allocated nearly 30% of its federal funds to workforce development programs, especially to meeting local needs for more CDL holders.
According to the office of Lincoln Mayor Leirion Gaylor Baird, the city has directed $13.5 million in federal dollars to workforce development since ARPA funds were made available in 2021.
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