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Illinois Pork offers CDL Scholarship Program to help address driver shortage

The Illinois Pork Producers Association is taking steps to address the shortage of truck drivers in the pork industry.

Mike Borgic, director of membership says they’re offering $1,000 scholarships for applicants to renew or obtain their Commercial Driver’s License in Illinois.  “We are trying our best to help our producers get people who are available to drive trucks for them,” he says.  “That’s one of the big things we’ve been hearing about from our producers is that they have a hard time getting trucks and when they do get trucks, they have a hard time getting a driver.  This could be for moving livestock or moving feed.”

He tells Brownfield entry-level drivers are required to complete a program and behind-the-wheel instruction prior to taking the CDL test. 

And to qualify for the scholarship, Borgic says applicants must either be Transportation Quality Assurance certified or agree to take the class.  “TQA is ran through the National Pork Board and is required by most processors in order to deliver pigs to them,” he says. 

For more information on the scholarship click HERE.

AUDIO: Mike Borgic, Illinois Pork Producers Association