City of Bangor Congratulates Bangor Public Works CDL Training Program Graduates
The City of Bangor Public Works department experienced significant recruiting challenges in 2022. To address the labor shortage, they developed a plan to create their own qualified employees. New Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) rules went into effect in February of 2022 that required new Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) trainees to meet a set of Entry Level Driver Training (ELDT) requirements. Our team’s Training Officer, Matt Oakes, was sent to a 40 hour “train-the-trainer” class at Keep Right Commercial Driving School that taught him the new ELDT requirements and prepared him to present the training.
His years of experience training our employees, coupled with the ELDT class, allowed him to present a comprehensive training program consisting of approximately 80 hours of classroom training, roughly 20 hours of range training, and 15 hours of road training for EACH employee. Our five employees who earned their CDL through this program passed their general knowledge and air brake permit and road exams on the first attempt. This is a credit to the employees who took their education seriously and, also, to the incredible efforts of our trainer who spent countless hours on the range as the cold winter winds blew in from the airfield located behind the course.
These exemplary employees trained to perform the duties of the Heavy Equipment Operator position, including plowing, while they were training for their exams. Once they earned their CDL, they were plowing the streets of Bangor, making the roads safe for residents and visitors. The feedback from the trainees and existing employees has been nothing but excellent. We are happy to have each one of these gentlemen on the Public Works team.
Congratulations to Mike Dorr, Randy Greenleaf, Ryan Horton, Sean Larcombe, and Mike Saunders!