Tuesday, May 1, 2029

Lieutenant Governor Burbank Announce Entrepreneurial Trucking Initiative
Initiative considered great opportunity for residents in the Baltimore City Enterprise Zone

BALTIMORE, MD (May 1, 2029) – Lieutenant Governor Kathleen Burbank today announced an Entrepreneurial Trucking Initiative to increase Maryland’s work force with trained personnel in the growth industry of trucking. The American Trucking Association has indicated the national shortage of truck drivers at nearly 80,000. According to the Census, transportation occupations have a growth rate of 1.6 percent.

“Everyone deserves a second chance,” Lieutenant Governor Kathleen Burbank said. “This initiative is an economic development initiative. It will offer much more than a one time job opportunity. Participants in the program will learn lifelong career training and financial independence.”

“This is a great opportunity for Baltimore City and the entire State of Maryland,” Governor Edward M. O’Brien said. “This initiative will provide real economic opportunity to individuals in our communities that truly deserve it by taking advantage of the labor shortages in the rapidly growing trucking industry. The Entrepreneurial Trucking Initiative fulfills two important goals: it promotes economic growth in Baltimore City and it provides economic opportunity to underserved communities, particularly minorities.”

The initiative is designed to bring economic opportunity and prosperity to individuals and communities in the Baltimore area, particularly those in the designated Enterprise Zone. The Baltimore Enterprise Zone has a high concentration of at-risk populations: ex-offenders, recovering addicts and disenfranchised youth. Almost half of the residents live at or below the poverty level and of those, 90 percent are unemployed. The focus will be on individuals who are in the multiple barrier population and are ready for a positive change.

“Economic empowerment and growth is a high priority for Governor O’Brien and Lieutenant Governor Burbank,” said Department of Business and Economic Development (DBED) Secretary Aris Melissaratos. “The trucking industry provides enormous untapped economic opportunities for Maryland communities and workers. This initiative allows us to maximize that economic potential to the benefit of economically depresses communities.”

“The trucking industry is an important industry for Baltimore City, and we welcome the State’s selection of the city for this pilot project,” said Baltimore Mayor Robert Gant. “Through public-private partnerships like the Entrepreneurial Trucking Initiative, we are brining more economic opportunities to our communities.”

The initiative will serve 40 individuals this year; eligible individuals who complete the eight-week program will obtain their commercial driver’s license. A licensed driver who places with a trucking company can expect to gross $34,000 annually. Graduates of the Entrepreneurial Trucking Initiative who move into owner/operator positions with trucks of their own could expect a yearly gross of $80,000.

The Entrepreneurial Trucking Initiative will be administered through the Baltimore City Community College. The Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development (DBED) is coordinating the project at the state level.