Independent Contractor - October 2019

following her graduation in June.
While the Sasse family was in the middle
of transitioning into a new way of life in Elko,
the Great Basin College CDL program was also
going through changes. During the time that
members of the Sasse family were enrolled in
the CDL program, Great Basin College acquired
a new Kenworth T680.
After first learning how to operate Great
Basin College’s previous Class 8 truck,
Cassandra, Katelynn and Kendall were the
first students to drive the Kenworth T680. The
differences between the T680 and the previous
truck they were driving were night and day.
Kenneth Pope, Great Basin College CDL
program instructor, who has more than 22 years
of driving and teaching experience, advocated
for the program’s administration to add the
Kenworth T680.
“In my time on the road, a Kenworth truck
was my favorite truck to drive,” Pope said.
“Kenworth sets the bar high for the trucks they
produce. When the opportunity came about to
add a new truck, I told the administration to give
Kenworth a hard look. The T680 is a reliable
truck that will provide me many years of teaching
the next generation of drivers how to operate a
Class 8 truck on the best equipment available.”
Great Basin’s Kenworth T680 features a
76-inch high-roof sleeper and 500 hp engine.
A 13-speed manual transmission was spec’d so
that students would not be limited to knowing
how to operate automated transmission trucks
when they graduate.
“We want to ensure that our students have
had plenty of practice operating a manual
transmission before beginning their careers,”
Pope said. “In Elko, our elevation is at more
than 5,000 feet and we have mountain passes all
around us. I teach my students how to navigate
steep slopes, acting as if they are hauling a full
payload. It doesn’t matter what the weather
conditions are — learning how to drive in tough
conditions makes you that much more prepared
for professional driving. You can imagine the
beating the transmission is taking from students
who are just learning.”
Great Basin College, CDL program consists
of no more than four students at a time. The small
class size allows for students to get a sufficient
amount of hands-on driving experience. For
long-distance training, Pope takes students out
on a 500- to 600-mile route, switching drivers
every 125 miles.
Since 1990, 500 students have graduated
from the program, and 92 percent of the students
who graduate find a job in the industry. With
sufficient funding, Great Basin College’s CDL
program will hold seven courses this year. Pope
expects the Kenworth T680 will accumulate
more than 30,000 miles in its first year as the
program’s primary truck.
“We feel fortunate to be able to offer our
students a new truck for them to learn in and
develop the skills they need once they graduate
from the program,” Pope said.
Since graduating from Great Basin CDL
program, Cassandra, Katelynn and Kendall
Sasse are driving professionally, hauling heavy
equipment locally for mining companies in
the Elko area. While the family describes
themselves as the “Diesel Family,” Cassandra
and her kids originally had no plans of becoming
truck drivers, but they have quickly embraced
the trucking industry.
“We’re excited about the opportunities we
have in the industry,” Cassandra said. “Our
ultimate goal is to own and operate our own
trucks and eventually drive long haul.”
For more information on the Great Basin
College CDL program, call (775) 753-2202 or
go to campusce.net/gbcnv.
14 INDEPENDENT CONTRACTOR 2019 HUNDREDS OF JOBS www.TruckJobSeekers.com