MARINETTE, Wis. — Mike Hallada was among the first graduates of the Veriha Driving Academy nine years ago. Now, he’s one of the trainers.
“There’s nothing better than sitting over in that passenger seat and watching the driver over here and seeing that big old smile because they just did something,” Hallada said. “They accomplished a maneuver they never thought they could do.”
Hallada drove for Veriha Trucking in Marinette for several years before transitioning to helping other people learn the ins and outs of the profession.
“We not only teach you the fundamentals of driving a truck, but we teach you how to drive a truck,” he said. “How to survive out on the road, how to pick loads up. The day-to-day operation of the truck.”
Tim Kordula, the company’s safety, training and development director, said there are options to cover part — or all — of the training costs.
“We just received a grant from the state of Wisconsin that will reimburse Wisconsin-resident students half of their tuition,” he said. “They can come here, get their CDL and we’re gong to reimburse them half their tuition. If they decide to stay on with Veriha, we will reimburse them the other half after a year.”
Each academy session is scheduled to run six weeks. Students are not paid during this phase.
Drivers who join Veriha then get four more weeks of paid training.
“The retention rate definitely improves with us having the academy here,” Kordula said.
The academy is open to the public.
Joe Krueger with the Chipper Guys Tree Service in Wausaukee is earning his CDL at the academy to transport larger equipment for the business he owns with his dad.
“It’s not like a big tech school where you’re getting grouped in with a bunch of people,” he said. “It’s a little more personalized.”
Hallada said the goal of the program is graduating people with enough knowledge to get a solid start in the industry.
“I believe we take it a step further and we actually turn these folks into in to living, breathing truck drivers,” he said. “They’re going to be safe; they’re going to be productive and be able to do the job by the time we’re done with them.”
