MOSES LAKE - People interested in training for a commercial driver's license at Big Bend Community College are being invited to a workshop at 12:30 p.m. Thursday in the Masto Conference Center at the college's ATEC Building, 2600 Bolling St. NE.

The next CDL class begins Jan. 21; all sessions are six weeks, program facilitator Julia Gamboa said. The spring session starts March 31, and a summer is scheduled with the date to be announced, she said.

Speakers will talk about prerequisites and the class schedule, she said, and instructors will detail the skills students learn in training. Presenters will talk about financial aid and requirements for application, she said.

Information packets will be available for interested students, Gamboa said. "We give them an overview of everything."

Classes are from 7:30 to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday for the six week period. Students must have passed the general knowledge CDL test given by the Washington Department of Licensing, she said. Students must submit copies of their driving records, she said, and pass a DOT physical.

Students will have the chance to take the CDL test using a school truck, she said, but the test is not given by college instructors.

Gamboa cautioned that prospective students with poor driving records may not qualify for the program. Traffic tickets might not disqualify students, but multiple DUI citations or felonies might, she said.

"A shortage of long-haul truckers prompted BBCC to start the CDL program," wrote Doug Sly, the college's information director. Gamboa said that need is still there. She received calls from local businesses, as well as inquiries from Cashmere, Ellensburg and Tri-Cities, looking for trained drivers or asking about future graduates, she said.

"The college has a large backing range and is located near a variety of driving conditions that provide the formula for successfully training long-haul truck drivers," Sly said.

People who want more information on the class can contact Gamboa at the college, 509-793-2045.