Sen. Paul Feeney, D-Foxborough, recently announced the approval of $975,000 for the expansion of the Teamsters Local 25 Driver Training Program during a visit and tour of the acclaimed school in Tewksbury.
The funds were part of the ARPA / Budget Surplus Spending Package, Amendment #136, filed by Feeney, for the purpose of accelerating the commercial truck driver training program. The funds will address the severe truck driver shortage and supply chain emergency facing the state and nation. These new funds will be matched 1:1 by the Teamsters Local 25 Training Fund.
The program trains students to earn their Commercial Drivers’ License (CDL) and prepares them for long-term careers with great earning potential as qualified commercial truck drivers. Since 2016, nearly 400 students have attended the Local 25 CDL school, with 42% identifying as female and/or non-white.
“Teamsters Local 25 operates the best truck driver training program in the country and we are proud to be an important part of the solution to address the supply chain and worker shortage issues,” said Teamsters Local 25 President Thomas G. Mari. “Thank you to Senator Feeney for securing badly needed funds to expand the program which will enhance our ability to train the next generation of drivers and get more people into great union jobs as commercial truck drivers.”
The Teamsters Local 25 Driving Training Program has a “first try” passage rate of more than 95 percent, nearly double the national average. This means drivers are on the road, earning good money, supporting their families, and delivering goods faster. Employment opportunities created by the Local 25 Driver Training Program typically result in starting wages from $20 to $37 per hour, with significant long-term earning potential well beyond that.
“I am thrilled to present this money to address this critical aspect of the supply chain emergency,” said Feeney. “This expansion of the Teamster 25 Driver Training Program will continue to support training to students for long-term careers as well-qualified and safe Commercial Drivers. This training program is a direct and proven pipeline to good paying, benefits providing, important middle-class jobs, all while addressing the continued depletion of the truck driving industry. This investment in the Driver Training Program will address the severe shortage of commercial drivers throughout the Commonwealth and Nation while creating good paying, blue collar, union represented jobs, to support hundreds of Massachusetts families and businesses.”
Feeney continued by thanking all those who are making this solution possible.
“I want to thank President Mari and the Teamsters Local 25 Driver Training School for stewarding this essential industry and creating a path to the middle class for so many members,” he said. “I also express my deep appreciation to Senate Ways and Means Committee Chair, Senator Michael Rodrigues, and Senate President Karen E. Spilka, for prioritizing this funding in the State Senate, as well as my partners in the legislature, Senator Finegold and Representative Robertson for their representation and support for this organization and this region. And I thank Governor Charlie Baker and Lieutenant Governor Karyn Polito for their long-standing support for workforce development across their Administration.”
“The pandemic has underscored the importance of a robust, equitable economy capable of providing good middle-class jobs to residents,” said Senate President Karen E. Spilka, D-Ashland. “When the Legislature allocated funding from our state’s American Rescue Plan and Fiscal Year 2021 surplus funds, we made targeted investments to provide transformational change and support for working people. The Driver Training Program, which addresses supply chain issues by supporting new truck drivers, is one example. Senator Feeney has been a consistent advocate for working people across our state, and I thank him for his work on supply chain issues.”
A recent study by the American Trucking Association concluded that more than one million truck drivers will have to join the industry over the next decade to keep pace with the demand. Trucks move 71% of the domestic freight in the US. At some point in the supply chain, most products in the US will be on a truck driven by a commercial driver.
Teamsters Local 25 is the largest Teamsters union in New England with 12,000 members. For more information, visit www.TeamstersLocal25.com
