Jasen Akina, 46, had worked construction most of his life but never in union positions or other situations that provided steady employment.

The Waianae resident said he enjoyed operating equipment while on construction jobs but didn’t have a commercial driver’s license that would allow him to handle larger vehicles. Finding himself out of work last year, he decided to take the opportunity to improve his prospects.

“I’m 46 and I was trying to look for some type of solid work,” Akina recalled. “I just wanted to work again and I decided to go for it.”

He signed up for commercial motor vehicle training offered through Leeward Community College’s Office of Continuing Education and Workforce Development, and two weeks after graduating from the seven-week course in September, Akina was driving a “super dump truck” with a trailing axle for bigger payloads for Aloha Trucking Inc., hauling materials to job sites and working an average of 28 to 30 hours a week.

“It adds to my skill set and has opened other opportunities for me,” he said. “I’m super happy with the situation and excited to see how it progresses.”

Akina is one of 125 Hawaii residents who have obtained a CDL through the training program since 2020. Courses include training with Class A and B commercial motor vehicles as well as forklift training and CDL permit preparation.

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Mike Scully, professor and coordinator of the Commercial Motor Vehicle Program, said many students are able to qualify for job skills training funds offered through grants and other sources. Participants in his three current CDL classes received free training through Good Jobs Hawai‘i, a $35 million workforce development initiative.

Scully called it “short-term training for a lasting career,” and said trainees have run the gamut, from people trying to find their first job and others seeking a career change, to old-timers, single mothers and former prison inmates looking for a new start.

The program is listed on the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration Training Provider Registry — an important distinction since a new federal rule took effect in February 2022 requiring anyone who wants to obtain or upgrade a CDL or obtain a passenger, school bus or hazmat endorsement to complete training provided by a program on its registry.

Scully said the training includes six weeks of classroom and hands-on instruction on commercial driving simulators and in actual vehicles, plus a week of CDL test preparation and testing.

In order to earn a CDL, trainees must pass four test components: air brake testing, vehicle inspection testing, basic vehicle control skills including parking, and on-road driving. State law requires that all four components be successfully completed on the same day.

For more information on LCC’s Commercial Motor Vehicle Program, visit ocewd.org/workforce or contact Scully at 808-455-0538 or email mscully@hawaii.edu.