Revving up change: Shaftsbury's Ian Taylor navigates a CDL career training shift

Ian Taylor of Shaftsbury decided it was time for a career change in his mid-30s. But when he learned the cost of earning his Commercial Drivers License (CDL), he hesitated. Suddenly, the investment seemed more like a gamble. Then, he found out that VSAC could support his CDL career training. Working with VSAC qualified him for grants that cut his tuition in half. 

Time for change

A year ago, Ian was working in residential construction with his wife’s uncle, Henry Sausville, who owns a small family-run business. “I liked it, and Henry always treated me well. But at age 36, it was time to make a change.” Ian’s father-in-law works for the Bennington highway department, and as Ian heard him talk about working for the town, it sounded like just the opportunity he was looking for. 

“I applied as a general highway worker, but what held me back was not having a CDL,” Ian recalls. “So I decided to go out and get one.” Unfortunately at the time, the cost of CDL career training was a hurdle.

“It was just shy of $6,000. That’s a lot to take on for a job you might not even get,” he says.  

Then, his wife Sarah, who works at Community College of Vermont, suggested he reach out to Martha McCaughin, a counselor with VSAC’s Educational Opportunity Center (EOC). The EOC helps adult students secure funding for education and training that allows them to enter new careers.  

“I called Martha, and she got the ball rolling. She helped me get through all the forms, and a lot of it I did right over the phone,” says Ian. “Once all that was done, I called Stafford Tech and told them they should be hearing from VSAC. Once the funding was set, they gave me a start date, and that was it. It was easy. And Martha was tremendous. She walked me through everything.”

VSAC offers solutions

Martha says Ian was great to work with. “He was eligible for a partial Advancement Grant, and because of that I was able to nominate him for a $1,500 Certificate of Value (COV) Training Scholarship from the Curtis Fund.” In addition to college scholarships, Martha explains, the Curtis Fund is committed to funding shorter-term, workforce development training for eligible Vermonters.

Ian’s grant and scholarship covered more than half the cost of his CDL training, and he met the remaining balance with a Trades Scholarship/Forgivable Loan, another funding option administered by VSAC.

“I had no idea this was available. I’m sure a lot of people would love to do something like this but just don’t know who to ask,” Ian says. “I’d encourage them to check out VSAC. There’s help out there to get you where you want to go.”  

Ian says the funding from VSAC lessened the financial risk of signing up for the class. “Without the financial support, I don’t know if I would have done it,” he admits. “What if the boiler breaks, or something like that? You’ve got to keep some money for a rainy day.”  

Navigating a career shift: CDL career training

In the fall of 2022, Ian started his class at Stafford Technical Center. In the Class A program, learned and tested on an 18-wheeler, which was challenging for Ian. While he was used to driving fire trucks, having served with the Shaftsbury volunteer fire department for 23 years, he says the semi trucks’ double-clutch transmission was challenging. “It was all brand new to me.”  

He also took on the additional obstacle of a 5th-wheel endorsement and a standard endorsement. Both are add-ons to his CDL and allow him to drive almost anything. “That means I also have some other things to fall back on,” he says, noting that his license will allow him to drive semi trucks in the future if he ever wants to pursue that avenue.  

Ian says the class was great, though it was longer and a bit more rigorous than he initially expected. The new responsibility sometimes made it hard to stay committed. The classroom training was based on a 30-chapter book, with tests at the end of each chapter. He reported to Rutland for road training every Saturday morning for 10 months.  

“You’re there every weekend, while your friends and family are out doing fun stuff,” he says, noting that he missed out on some fishing and camping trips. “But at the end, it was 100% worth it, and I’m really glad I did it.” He also notes that all his instructors at Stafford Technical Center were top-notch. “Don Brown, the main instructor, was great. Whenever I would start to get a little discouraged, he was a good cheerleader, and he kept me engaged.”

The perfect job

Ian passed his road test, and he started working with the Bennington highway crew on August 28. He says he enjoyed his first three months on the job, where he helped wrap up summer jobs – like sidewalks, bike paths and culvert replacements – and switched over to hauling sand and getting the plow trucks ready for winter.  

“I love construction, and I love being outdoors. This is the perfect job for me.”

He’s also looking forward to taking some well-deserved time off.  

“By this time next year, I’ll hopefully have built up some comp time and some vacation. My wife and I would like to travel a bit, and just be able to spend more time together. For 10 months, I never saw her on Saturdays. It felt like we were strangers there for a while.”