Four Family Members Graduate from Same CDL Program, Learn to Drive in a Kenworth T680
ELKO, NV… True grit and determination are just a few ways to describe the Sasse family. It’s not every day members of the same family graduate from the same commercial driving license program – let alone four. But Cassandra Sasse and three of her kids (Kendall, Katelynn and Kodi) turned to the trucking industry as a way to support their family.
“We’re no strangers to heavy duty trucks since
my husband holds a Class A CDL, so my kids and I started looking at the
trucking industry for opportunities,” said Cassandra Sasse. “I have seven
kids, and four of them still need supervision. It was important for me to
find a career that would give me the flexibility I need to watch over my young
kids.”
After
relocating to Elko, Nevada, the Sasse family discovered that Elko’s thriving
commercial transportation industry offered the financial and time flexibility
the family sought. On top of that, Cassandra, Kendall, Katelynn and Kodi each
applied for and received full scholarships to attend Great Basin College’s
six-week CDL program, making the decision to enter the trucking industry even
more enticing. They became the first students to receive scholarships for the
Great Basin College CDL program.
In
January, Cassandra, Kendall and Katelynn Sasse enrolled in the Great Basin
College CDL program and graduated with their Class A CDL in March. Kodi Sasse
waited to enter the same program in May, so that she would be 21 years old and
eligible to drive out-of-state following her graduation in June.
While
the Sasse family was in the middle of transitioning into a new way of life in
Elko, the Great Basin College CDL program was also going through changes.
During the time that members of the Sasse family were enrolled in the CDL
program, Great Basin College added a new Kenworth T680 in February.
After
first learning how to operate Great Basin College’s previous Class 8 truck in
January, Cassandra, Katelynn and Kendall Sasse, were the first students to
drive the Kenworth T680. The differences between the T680 and the previous
truck they were driving were night and day.
“There’s no doubt the Kenworth T680 is a better
driving truck,” said Cassandra Sasse. “The T680 is much easier to shift, and
the suspension makes for a very comfortable ride. It was a unique opportunity
for us to be the first ones to drive the new T680. It’s good to have driving
experience on multiple truck makes, that way we’re more prepared for our
careers. But I see why Ken (Kenneth Pope, Great Basin College CDL program
instructor) likes Kenworth trucks so much. The drivability is hard to beat.”
Pope,
who has more than 22 years of driving and teaching experience, was a big
advocator for the program’s administration to add the Kenworth T680. “In my
time on the road, a Kenworth truck was my favorite truck to drive,” said Pope.
“Kenworth sets the bar high for the trucks they produce. When the opportunity
came about to add a new truck, I told the administration to give Kenworth a
hard look. The T680 is a reliable truck that will provide me many years of
teaching the next generation of drivers how to operate a Class 8 truck on the
best equipment available.”
Great
Basin’s Kenworth T680 features a 76-inch high-roof sleeper and 500 hp engine. A
13-speed manual transmission was spec’d so that students would not be limited
to operating automated transmission trucks once they graduated.
“We want to ensure that our students have had plenty of practice operating a
manual transmission before beginning their careers,” said Pope. “In Elko, our
elevation is at more than 5,000 feet and we have mountain passes all around us.
I teach my students how to navigate steep slopes, acting as if they are hauling
a full payload. It doesn’t matter what the weather conditions are – learning
how to drive in tough conditions makes you that much more prepared for
professional driving. You can imagine the beating the transmission is taking
from students who are just learning. The reliability of a Kenworth truck was a
big reason we added the T680. We expect it to hold up for us, and it has. We
haven’t encountered any issues.”
The
CDL program Great Basin College offers consists of no more than four students
at a time. The small class size allows for students to get lots of hands-on
driving experience. For long-distance training, Pope will take students out on
a 500 to 600-mile route, switching drivers every 125 miles.
“We customized the 76-inch sleeper with three air-ride seats so that we could
have all students onboard during our over-the-road training,” said Pope. “A lot
of skills can be learned from watching other drivers and the sleeper provides
our students a comfortable place for them to sit, especially on those long
trips.”
Since
1990, 500 students have graduated from the Great Basin College driving school
program, and 92 percent of the students who graduate find a job in the
industry. With sufficient funding, Great Basin College’s CDL program will hold
seven courses this year. Pope expects the Kenworth T680 will accumulate more
than 30,000 miles in its first year as the program’s primary truck of use.
“I expect to get a lot of great years out of the Kenworth T680,” said Pope. “We
feel fortunate to be able to offer our students a new truck for them to learn
in and develop the skills they need once they graduate from the program.”
Since
graduating from Great Basin CDL program, Cassandra, Katelynn and Kendall Sasse
are driving professionally, hauling heavy equipment locally for mining
companies in the Elko area. While the family describes themselves as the
“Diesel Family,” Cassandra and her kids originally had no plans of becoming
truck drivers, but they have quickly embraced the trucking industry.
“We’re excited about the opportunities we have in the industry,” said Cassandra
Sasse. “Our ultimate goal is to own and operate our own trucks and eventually
drive long haul. We’ve driven a few truck makes now, but nothing drives quite
like a Kenworth T680. Once we’re ready to look at buying trucks, we’ll
definitely give Kenworth a look.”
For more information on the Great Basin College CDL program, call (775) 753-2202 or go to www.campusce.net/gbcnv.
Captions:
From passenger-side door: Kodi Sasse, Kendall Sasse, Great Basin College CDL instructor, Kenneth Pope; Cassandra Sasse, and Katelynn Sasse
Great Basin College Group T680 1
From left: Kodi Sasse, Kendall Sasse, Kenneth Pope, Great Basin College CDL instructor; Katelynn Sasse, and Cassandra Sasse