Indiana Teamsters Unveil New Driver Training Center

After 20 Years, Local 142 Realizes Dream to Train Qualified Truck Drivers

Truck drivers across Indiana now have more opportunity to become licensed Teamster drivers with the grand opening of Teamsters Local 142’s Apprentice & Training Center.

The local union officially opened the doors this month to its new training hub, offering 14,000 square feet of classrooms, program offices, equipment storage and situational driver training facilities. Drivers can enroll in a variety of programs to obtain their Class A or commercial driver’s licenses (CDL), as well as licenses to operate forklifts, dump trucks, fuel trucks, sweepers, cranes, flat beds, semis, tri-axles and equipment transport.

“The Teamsters are proud to open this state-of-the-art facility for members in Indiana and other drivers who are looking to learn a trade and find gainful union employment,” said John T. Coli, President of Teamsters Joint Council 25. “Our union will continue to lead the way in creating secure, dependable jobs, while offering advanced training to our hardworking members.”

The center is located on 10 acres in Merrillville, Indiana, allowing for instructors to utilize on- and off-road training courses. Short- and long-term apprenticeship programs can provide drivers the skills necessary to enter a multitude of industries, including transportation, hauling and construction, in which Local 142 currently represents hundreds of workers.

“Our new facility ensures the Teamsters will train the most qualified truck drivers in Indiana,” said Mitch Sawochka, Local 142 President. “From asphalt and concrete to new construction and the rebuilding of existing roads, the center is here to provide the skills you will not find anywhere else, and to assist men and women in their pursuit to perform a safe, honest day’s work.”

While Local 142 has been training drivers for years at its union hall in Gary, the larger facility will bring more opportunity to drivers throughout the state. The center is actually a project two decades in the making for the local union. Teamsters began raising money to build the facility in 1991, when the first funds were set aside. The local officially broke ground in Merrillville in May 2009.

“What began with a few nickels and a couple shovels full of dirt has now been fully realized by the hardworking Teamsters of Indiana,” said Sawochka. “The Teamsters are ready to get to work.”

Drivers across the border in Illinois also have the opportunity to obtain identical training with the Illinois Teamsters Employers Apprenticeship & Training Fund. Located alongside Teamsters Local 179 in Joliet, the training center offers four-year apprenticeship programs to drivers looking to acquire CDLs and other licenses in the construction trades. The center is operated by affiliates of Joint Council 25 and Teamsters Joint Council 65 in Springfield.

For more information on the Local 142 Apprentice & Training Center or to enroll in an upcoming program, contact the Local 142 union offices at (773) 721-8800.

For more information on the Illinois Teamsters Employers Apprenticeship & Training Fund, call the training offices at (815) 773-0700 or visit www.illinoisteamsterstraining.org.

Teamsters Local 142 is an affiliate of Teamsters Joint Council 25, which represents more than 100,000 hardworking men and women throughout Illinois and Indiana.

Download PDF

LATEST NEWS »