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 <strong>2019</strong> HUNDREDS OF JOBS www.TruckJobSeekers.com
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