Trucking not just a job - it's a lifestyle

Doug Odegaard never pictured himself as anything but a truck driver.

After 37 years of experience as a driver, he’s driven just about every vehicle imaginable — long haul, mixers, logging trucks, chip trucks, and more. After experiencing an accident himself, Odegaard is passionate about safety on the roads. He became a certified commercial truck driver instructor and continues to emphasize safe driving in all of his classes.

“Safety comes first,” he said. “Trucking equipment has kept up with the times and is light years ahead of where it was just a decade ago. Cameras, antilock braking systems, lane departure warnings, all of these emerging technologies are designed to keep truckers, and everyone on the road around them, safe.”

Certified to teach in all 50 states, Odegaard is an instructor in North Idaho College’s commercial drivers license training program, based at the Workforce Training Center.

“When it comes to the North Idaho College program, your options are unlimited,” he said. “We can train you for class A or B, we can get you prepared for long-hauling or local — pretty much anything you want. The options are wide open.”

NIC also offers a CDL Class A refresher course, for drivers who have a Class A license but have been off the road and would like to sharpen their skills. Because the industry is experiencing a labor shortage, Odegaard said that now is an ideal time to consider a career in driving. There are approximately 148,000 current driver openings nationally, according to the American Trucking Organization, with 890,000 total driver openings forecast through 2025.

“There’s a huge driver shortage,” Odegaard said. “Right now, we’re 60 percent of where we need to be. If this continues, you’re going to go to the store to buy a loaf of bread and it’ll cost you 12 dollars because they only got one load that week.”

Odegaard theorized that the shortage is related to negative perceptions of truck drivers — a stereotype, he says, that’s out of date.

“People just don’t think about driving a truck,” he said. “They watch these shows on TV, like “Ice Road Truckers,” but that’s all make-believe. The pay scale has gone way up, and the equipment is unbelievably nice.”

The median hourly wage for heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers is $19.36, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Self-motivated individuals are well-suited to truck driving, Odegaard said. These days, many companies can accommodate the lifestyle of drivers who need to see their families regularly. However, truck driving as a career still means making a commitment to being on the road.

“It’s a lifestyle, not just a job,” he said.

Odegaard takes pride in going “above and beyond” with his students. He wants to make sure his students are fully prepared to work safely for anyone and get the job done.

For more information on these classes taught through the NIC Workforce Training Center, contact (208) 769-3333 or www.nic.edu/wtc