Veteran owned businesses looks to put highly qualified commercial truckers on the road
TUPELO, MISS. (WCBI) – As Jessie Cornejo prepares for his next over-the-road haul on his flatbed, he stops in to see his former instructor to wish him luck on his new venture. Cornejo used to work in a furniture factory; now he delivers furniture across the country.
‘I have delivered to the furniture factory I used to work at, so it is like a full circle, I love it,” Cornejo said.
Dallas Shumpert taught Cornejo when he worked for another truck driving school. Shumpert drove trucks for ten years after he served in the Coast Guard. Then he instructed future truck drivers, but always aspired to open his own school.
‘I wanted to raise the bar,” Shumpert said.
Shumpert opened “The CDL Guy”, providing all phases of instruction, as soon as the student passes a DOT Physical.
‘Once you have a physical, you pass three tests at the DMV, and they issue a permit, we enroll you in the program, we get you a start date, and from day one, we are behind the wheel, hands on, and I have never had a problem from getting someone from zero to ready in ten days or less,” Shumpert said.
As a veteran with a veteran-owned business, Shumpert says truck driving is a great career path for those who have served their country.
‘I had to do something to earn a good living, be a responsible and productive member of society, and maximum earning potential was driving a truck.”
Shumpert says entry-level truck drivers can earn $60,000, with unlimited potential as they log the miles.
Shumpert says the need for highly qualified truck drivers has been in the spotlight since recent DOT audits showed some states are issuing licenses to drivers who haven’t met the basic requirements.
