2008 Woodie Awards
Distinctive program drives students down open roads
Justin Biggs
Issue date: 11/10/05 Section: Feature
Kirkwood Community College's long running Transportation and Safety Driving program located in the Transportation and Safety Training building on the south side of campus is on the rise.
This program provided by Kirkwood can be dated back to the 1970s. The program at this time provides a variety of classes ranging from semi driving, driver's education, Operating While Intoxicated (OWI) and motorcycle/moped classes.
Brad "Dusty" Sweyers, supervisor, sees the program as rapidly growing and one that will continue to grow for quite some time.
According to Sweyers, "The truck driving classes are seeing 500 plus students in attendance and I only see it growing. Students in the class range from 18 years to 80 years old."
With that said, one would see that this program can be entered at any point in life.
In order to enroll in the truck driving class students must have a valid driver's license, must be at least 18 years old, pass a DOT physical and take a pre-employment drug test.
Darlene Geppert, truck driving student from Oakmont, Penn., read about Kirkwood's truck driving program in trucking magazines and on the Internet. Geppert said she only has a couple of weeks left of the classes and has no complaints so far.
"The knowledge has been very informative and everyone is willing to help out and give me good information," Geppert said.
According to Geppert, "The reason I joined the program is because it offered a fast, thorough education so I could get on the road fast and make money."
The program also provides classes for those who have multiple speeding tickets or an OWI. People with tickets can take the Driver Improvement Class (DIP), while people with an OWI can take either 12 hours or 48 hours of class a week.
Whether you are a high school or international student wanting a driver's license, someone who wants to operate a semi or a single unit vehicle or an individual who wants to improve one's driving skills, Kirkwood is the place to achieve those goals.
This program provided by Kirkwood can be dated back to the 1970s. The program at this time provides a variety of classes ranging from semi driving, driver's education, Operating While Intoxicated (OWI) and motorcycle/moped classes.
Brad "Dusty" Sweyers, supervisor, sees the program as rapidly growing and one that will continue to grow for quite some time.
According to Sweyers, "The truck driving classes are seeing 500 plus students in attendance and I only see it growing. Students in the class range from 18 years to 80 years old."
With that said, one would see that this program can be entered at any point in life.
In order to enroll in the truck driving class students must have a valid driver's license, must be at least 18 years old, pass a DOT physical and take a pre-employment drug test.
Darlene Geppert, truck driving student from Oakmont, Penn., read about Kirkwood's truck driving program in trucking magazines and on the Internet. Geppert said she only has a couple of weeks left of the classes and has no complaints so far.
"The knowledge has been very informative and everyone is willing to help out and give me good information," Geppert said.
According to Geppert, "The reason I joined the program is because it offered a fast, thorough education so I could get on the road fast and make money."
The program also provides classes for those who have multiple speeding tickets or an OWI. People with tickets can take the Driver Improvement Class (DIP), while people with an OWI can take either 12 hours or 48 hours of class a week.
Whether you are a high school or international student wanting a driver's license, someone who wants to operate a semi or a single unit vehicle or an individual who wants to improve one's driving skills, Kirkwood is the place to achieve those goals.