Dock to Driver 2025:
Welcome Eight New Class A Drivers!
Contributed by: Adam White, Learning and Development Specialist
This year, we held three Dock to Driver classroom sessions, with eight students finishing the program and getting their Class A licenses. Each student completed two full days of classroom instruction, including hours of service, best practices on the road and at customer sites, and Hazmat knowledge. They then went through a full day of Smith System instruction, including classroom time and behind-the-wheel training.
Once the classroom training was over, the real work began, with each trainee working with a local Driver Trainer to get at least 100 hours of real-world, behind-the-wheel training, a process that can take anywhere from a few weeks to several months. Before releasing their trainees to graduate the program, Driver Trainers make sure each student is working safely, efficiently, and professionally.
When it comes time for the student to take their CDL test at the DMV, the Driver Trainer works intensively with the trainee to prepare them for the test. This includes not just practicing the skills test maneuvers and rehearsing the pre-trip inspection, but also selecting and preparing the right equipment for the test, and accompanying the trainee to the testing location.
Please join us in congratulating our eight new drivers from the class of 2025!
- Leon Beasley, AUB
- Darrien Sawyer-Lamb, AUB
- Jorge Arevalo, AUB
- Erik Izquierdo, REN
- Jose Gutierrez, REN
- Carl Brown, REN
- Solomon Vlasak, EUG
- Tyler Woodring, BND
The first Dock to Driver classroom session in 2026 will be February 10th-12th at the Las Vegas Terminal. If you’d like to become an Oak Harbor Class A Driver, ask your local manager for details.
