45 Florida inmates complete CDL training behind bars

Dozen of inmates at a Florida prison were recognized for completing their Commercial Drivers License (CDL) training at a recent graduation ceremony.

On December 20, the Santa Rosa Correctional Institution held a graduation ceremony to honor the accomplishments of 45 inmates who graduated from the popular truck driver training program.

The Secretary of the Florida Department of Corrections Mark S. Inch was on hand to attend the graduation ceremony.

The CDL program offered by the prison requires a minimum of 150 hours of training, including 20 hours of classroom work, 20 hours of behind the wheel training, and simulator training three hours per day for two weeks, according to the Santa Rosa Press Gazette. The students will still be required to pass their written and skills tests to officially earn either their CDL-A or CDL-B.

The CDL training program also works with local trucking companies to help the former inmates find employment when they are released.

Sec Inch was proud to congratulate graduates from Santa Rosa CI, who recently completed a wide array of programs such as the popular CDL program: https://t.co/QPIhi0RZW0 Graduates seized the opportunity to showcase their skills to media in attendance. Congrats to all involved! pic.twitter.com/PEQNGzuSZM

— FL Dept. Corrections (@FL_Corrections) December 20, 2019

The truck driver training program is so popular that there is a waiting list to participate.

Currently, the Santa Rosa Correctional Institute is the only prison in Florida offering a CDL training program, but the program has been so successful that there are plans to expand it to other institutions.

For more on the Santa Rosa Correctional Institute’s CDL program, you can check out the video below.