Miltary reserve personnel will soon be entering the trucking industry through a training program backed by the Indiana National Guard, Vincennes University, private transportation companies and several federal and state agencies, according to a press release from Vincennes University, in Vincennes, IN.

The Indiana National Guard/Vincennes University Truck Driver Training Program will be located at Camp Atterbury in Vincennes, IN. Beginning recently with an enrollment of five, plans are underway to expand the program to meet the growing need for professional drivers. The school cites the Bureau of Labor Statistics as expecting a 20 percent growth in demand for truck drivers through 2010.

Students in the program will complete VU’s 21 credit-hour tractor-trailer driver training program at Camp Atterbury for eight weeks, serve a four-week internship with a sponsoring company and serve a two-year on-the-job apprenticeship with a sponsoring company. During the apprenticeship, participants can complete general education courses to earn an associate degree from VU.

The instruction provided by VU includes 80 hours of classroom instruction, 80 hours of instruction on the backing range to master a variety of backing skills and 160 hours of road instruction that includes a minimum of 30 hours (approximately 1,000 miles) of road driving.