(Pictured left to right) Teamsters Local 25 President Sean M. O’Brien, Deputy Frank Reid, Deputy Chris Hardy, and Middlesex County Sheriff Peter J. Koutoujian
Tewksbury, MA – Teamsters Local 25 and the Middlesex Sheriff’s Office announced the completion of a unique training opportunity for deputies.
Deputy Sheriffs Frank Reid and Chris Hardy each earned a Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) by completing the renowned truck driving program at the Teamsters Local 25 Training Center in Tewksbury earlier this year. Adding these properly trained, CDL-certified drivers will allow the Middlesex Sheriff’s Office to continue providing key scenario-based training opportunities to local law enforcement partners via its Mobile Training Center (MTC).
With these certifications Deputies Reid and Hardy, who are assigned full time to provide training support aboard the MTC, will now also be able to transport the state-of-the-art trailer on as needed basis to police departments across Middlesex County. In 2017 alone, nearly 20 local police departments utilized the MTC to conduct interactive, scenario-based firearms training.
In addition to preparing for the CDL road test, students at the training center have opportunities to earn other transportation-related credentials, including first aid, CPR, and licenses to operate hoisting machinery, such as backhoes and forklifts, and to handle or haul hazardous materials.
Drivers who graduate the program, often called “Teamsters University”, attain high paying jobs that include great benefits that come with union membership. In addition, Teamsters University is seeing a rapid increase in women participants. More than 20% of its CDL graduates are female, and that number is growing.
