On their very first day of school, students at Above and Beyond CDL Driving Academy get behind the wheel of an 18-wheeler, in order to overcome any intimidation they might have learning to drive a semi-truck.
This introduction is part of the academy’s five-week class A course that mixes classroom time with behind the wheel instruction on late model tractors and 48-53-foot trailers.
The goal is to ensure that students exceed the federal requirements for Class A Licensing. The Northfield school is located at 1720 Cannon Rd. on the west side of Highway 3.
Brian Hudson, lead instructor at Northfield’s Above and Beyond CDL Driving Academy, said that the industry is still short about 25,000 drivers nationally. Hudson said the industry is still feeling the effects of the high demand for drivers that occurred during the COVID-19 years when many drivers choose to retire.
“With the economy rolling along, fewer drivers available and an increase in freight demands, there’s still a shortage of drivers,” he said.
Driving a machine that can weigh between 10,000 and 25,000 pounds without a trailer requires a lot of instruction and hands-on experience to demonstrate proficiency, Hudson said.
“Safety is our main concern,” said Hudson, who has been in his position at the Academy since November 2022.
Asked why safety is the school’s top priority, Hudson said that, in the 10 years he’s been teaching, his biggest fear is that he will get a call regarding a recently graduated student getting into a fatal accident.
“My philosophy has always been that I am going to teach our students to drive the safest that they can, versus teaching them the bare minimum standards to pass the CDL skills test,” he said. “When we see other driver’s tailgating, speeding, weaving in and out of lanes, passing cars in unsafe conditions, and many other poor habits we always point out to our students the potential consequences for such poor driving behaviors.”
Hudson and Spencer Pittman are the two instructors who teach at Above and Beyond. The goal is to prepare students for their Commercial Driver’s License test. The Academy’s mission is to “provide excellence in training enhancing safety in the transportation industry by exceeding the minimum standards with effective instruction, professionalism and a desire to see others succeed.”
The instructors usually teach about five students a month at the Academy, where students are taught using 30 instructional modules that cover every aspect of commercial trucking from control systems/dashboard to re- and post-trip inspections, and from backing and docking to speed and space management and from night operation to extreme driving conditions.
The training includes preparation for emergencies, malfunctions and maintenance, as well as fatigue and wellness awareness, human trafficking and alcohol and marijuana use.
Hudson spends four to five weeks and over 160 to 200 hours teaching students how to navigate the hills of southern Minnesota, the roundabouts of New Prague, the rush hours in the Twin Cities and traversing the narrow downtown streets of St. Paul.
When drivers are ready, Hudson said students who are Minnesota residents have to take the test wherever/whenever they can get an appointment. “The MN Dept of Public Safety is very backlogged on administering skills tests,” he explained. “We have had to go as far as Worthington and Wilmar to test.”
If the student is a Wisconsin resident, it’s much easier. “They allow third party testing so we can schedule a test when the student is ready,” he said. Hudson said he knows of some driving schools who get preferential treatment for testing, “which is not fair, but it is what it is.”
Hudson said drivers learn how to manage the often punishing schedules by driving 11 out of 14 hours, then resetting to 10 hours. “Driving long shifts can play havoc on their sleep cycles,” he said. “For overnight driving, especially on long dark stretches of road, we recommend they stop and get out of the cab every two hours.”
Hudson said he’s proud of the 45-50 graduates the academy has trained since opening here.
“I have family driving on these roads, with my grandkids in the car, and I want only the safest drivers on the road around them,” said Hudson.
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