ADAMS COUNTY, Ill. (WGEM) – As harvest season trucks on, the agriculture industry is in need of truck drivers.
According to the Illinois Farm Bureau, farmers have been struggling to find adequate trucker numbers to transport goods and crops this season.
To address the issue, the bureau has a new scholarship program to get men and women on the road quicker.
The program, for Illinois residents only, gives $1,000 grants to individuals trying to get their commercial driver licenses (CDL) at community colleges across the state.
Adams County Farm Bureau Manager Shawn Valter said more than a dozen people have already participated in the quarterly program.
“This program is put in place to help offset the cost so that farmers can find people to drive trucks for them. The $1,000 goes a long way to pay for their schooling and to get their license, their CDL,” said Valter.
On average, most people getting a CDL would normally have to pay anywhere from $3,000 to $6,000.
Before applying for the scholarship, Valter said anyone interested would need to get support from members of the local agriculture industry.
“You definitely need an endorsement either from a farm bureau leader in the county, or a farmer who’s actively farming, or a food supply company that you would be working for. That just kind of guarantees that the money that we’re putting forth to help train people, at the end result, it’s going to actually benefit the agriculture industry,” said Valter.
The next application deadline is Dec. 31, with the next winners being announced in Jan. of 2023 for quarter one of the new year.
Applications can be found on the IAA Foundation website.
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