A Career with Opportunity: Kevin Larsen’s Story
For Kevin Larsen, having his CDL license was something always in the back of his mind, but never came to fruition because of his career. However, that changed when his company laid him off, and Kevin finally took the chance he always wanted through ANU’s Truck Driving program. In just four weeks, Kevin earned his CDL at ANU – and also was able to test for additional endorsements, which he earned in Hazardous Materials, Tanker, and Double-Triple. And at the time of his interview, Kevin had five job offers – not long after his graduation!
For much of his adult life, Kevin worked at a chemical railyard, where he loaded up many tanker trucks from the railcars he worked with – he even suggested to his management his eagerness to earn his CDL. Once he was laid off, Kevin realized he finally had the time to earn his CDL, which he had wanted for over fifteen years. He visited the Kentucky State Fair this past summer ANU representatives had set up to invite interested students to join the program. “I had talked to another school… but they were a month out from getting me in class. Then the next day, I went to the fair and there were Mike and Luther, they said they could get me right in,” Kevin said. And two days later, Kevin was enrolled in our program and starting the next week! “And I knew, like the second day of class, I had made the right decision.”
Kevin enjoyed every minute of his four-week classes, and that was mainly because of the care and expertise of his instructors, Mike Boyer and Luther Galloway. Kevin remarks how easily he could talk to his two instructors and gained a lot of advice from both. “Those two instructors are really good at what they do… I made the right choice, because Mike and Luther are great guys, and they know what they’re doing.” Kevin continually praises the two for their work and how easily students can learn from them. Kevin came into our program with some experience with truck driving because of his previous career, but he said the quality of education didn’t change for him, or even those who came in without any previous knowledge or experience. “They took [us] step by step right on down the line to their CDL, I was really impressed with the way they did it…between the two of them, they have a lot of years of experience, and it shows.”Kevin reflected on Mike and Luther’s patience and willingness to teach everyone in his classes, regardless of the experience they had with trucks, and how that impressed him most of all with his classes.
After graduating from ANU’s Truck Driving Program, Kevin had five job offers waiting to hear back from him. One day, when driving through Louisville, Kevin said he saw a local trucking company had a hiring sign and he decided to apply. Once inside, he learned that his ANU CDL would give him more opportunities than he knew. “[The manager] said, ‘I’ll hire anybody Mike and Luther can send me, I’ve had the best of luck hiring American National graduates,’ and he offered me a job right there,” Kevin said. Being a part of ANU’s Truck Driving program means you get trained by career-professionals, like Luther and Mike, who have connections that can bring you that much closer to a successful career.
With his CDL, Kevin said he has already recommended ANU’s Truck Driving program to several people looking to get into the trucking profession. “I really can’t say enough good words about ANU,” he remarked. His experiences with Luther, Mike, and the entire process of earning his CDL were nothing short of great, as Kevin repeated through his entire interview. When it comes to giving advice to those just joining the program, he said, “the best thing I can tell you is to listen to Luther and Mike, listen to what they say, and let them instruct you, and you will get your CDL.”
To learn more about how you can join our next CDL classes, go to https://cdl.an.edu/cdl-training/.