Senior instructor Markus Juarez, bottom, talks to student driver Jaime Rojas at California Truck Driving Academy in Inglewood, Wednesday, Nov. 17. AP photo/Jae C. Hong photo
Eugene GarciaThe Associated PressOn a recent afternoon, Tina Singh watched nearly a dozen students at a suburban Los Angeles truck-driving school backing up their practice vehicles into parking spaces. Many had never operated a manual transmission before.“It’s an exciting time to be a truck driver right now because there’s so much demand for drivers,” Singh, the school’s director, said. “Our yards are busy, and they’re very vibrant with a lot of activity.”Business is booming at the California Truck Driving Academy amid a nationwide shortage of long-haul drivers that has led to promises of high pay and instant job offers. The Inglewood school has seen annual enrollment grow by almost 20% since last year, and has expanded to offering night classes.“Every
