The Marine Corps Base Quantico Traffic Safety Office, located at Camp Upshur, has several programs for traffic safety in several types of vehicles. One of the lesser-known courses, with only 16 graduates in the past 12 months, is the Troops to Trucks program that can help those interested in acquiring their Commercial Drivers License.

The Troops to Trucks program is a three-day course that will give an introduction to operating several types of vehicles, and an inside look at the trucking industry.

“Our focus here is to give those who are interested a hands-on learning experience,” said Dave Water, the master instructor at the Traffic Safety Office. “But other than teaching them the fundamentals, we also focus on diving into the industry beyond the behind-the-wheel stuff. We have several decades of experience on the road, and we know a lot about the behind the scenes stuff, too.”

In the last year, 48 people have signed up and started the course. Only 16 of those have completed the course and earned their CDL. Of those 16, only seven were Marines.

“The hardest part of this course is getting here,” said Water. “We hear all the time about people being interested, but they can’t get away from work for three days to get everything done.”

The course is simple in its structure. The first day is devoted to learning the basics of driving the different kinds of vehicles and gets the paper work filled out to get a permit. After that, the next two days are practice and learning the federal and state rules and regulations.

When the three days are done, the students test for their Virginia State license and are given a permit to drive government vehicles for continued practice.

“There is no better way to get your CDL,” said Water. “This course is free and is so short and effective that it just makes sense to do. In the civilian world, you could go to a trucking school that is going to charge you and it’s going to be three weeks minimum that you are missing out on work. This way, we get you in, get you out and get you driving.”

Another problem the course runs into has to do with Marines who are about to end their service. With only four courses a year, the waiting time for a class can get pretty lengthy.

“The transition services are great, but they don’t tell them about us until its too late for them to sign up,” said Water.  “Every now and then we might have a group big enough that we will have a class before the next one scheduled, but that is extremely rare.”

The next course available is May 28-30. Those interested can enroll through the Enterprise Safety Applications Management System website at esams.cnic.navy.mil.

“Give us a call before you sign up,” said Water. “We will give you all the extra information you need and a few suggestions for things to do before the course.”

The Traffic Safety Office’s phone number is 703-784-2120.