ROCKLAND — We’ve all seen them. Those little cars emblazoned with “Student Driver” on them. Full of kids, they are usually trying to master the art of parallel parking downtown. We give them a wide berth. Now imagine looking up in your rearview mirror and seeing an 18-wheeler bearing down on you with the words “Student Driver” on the bumper. It gives you cause to pause and reconsider your life up to that point.

'The first real challenge for students is just getting out of the driveway. It slopes up.'

Roman Majunka, of Rockland, has been teaching students at the Mid-Coast School of Technology for 11 years. He teaches Driver’s Ed in a manner of speaking, but in this case it’s how to handle a big rig. Take the class and handy, dandy, sweet as candy you’re headed down the highway humming Willie Nelson’s “On the road Again.”

Or, so it seems, but it’s not quite that simple. MCST offers both Class A and Class B licenses for big trucks. Class A is your basic tractor/trailer and Class B is a straight truck (no separation between cab and truck). Both classes are approved by the state.

Class A is a 150-hour course, 80 hours of that is spent in the classroom. There are written tests to pass and finally you get to drive. Majunka said there are skills to master.

“You develop skills necessary to handle a big truck," he said. "You have to pass skills tests.”
 
And yes, you have to learn how to parallel-park one. Imagine seeing that in downtown Rockland.

“It’s a lot easier than you think,” said Majunka. “Docking is tough. Backing into a simulated dock with trucks on both sides and you start 90 degrees perpendicular to the dock, that’s a tough one.”

Majunka said there are a lot of visual skills that need to be mastered. Where is your truck in relation to what’s around it.

“Driving is one thing, towing a half mile of trailer behind it is another,” he said.

Getting the hang of the transmission is the most demanding part.

“What type of transmission are you using?" he said. "A 10 speed, unsynchronized transmission can be pretty daunting to get the hang of. You have to understand what type of gearing to use with the size of a vehicle. There is double clutching to learn, as well.”

Majunka said ages vary in his classroom; 30s to early 40s are common. He’s had students over 60 and as young as 18.

“A lot of military and a lot of people just looking to start over, or find another skill after retirement,” he said.

“Driving a truck is not as easy as you might think,” said Majunka. “Fourteen hours behind the wheel is a long day, but trucks are really comfortable these days. They want drivers to be efficient. The more efficient they are the less mistakes.”

A Class B license is basically a tanker endorsement.

“A lot of fishermen fish in the summer and drive a fuel truck in the winter," he said. "It seems like everyone I see on the road is a former student of mine.”

Marianne Doyle is the Director of Adult Education for the school.

“The first real challenge for students,” she said, “is just getting out of the driveway. It slopes up.”

A Class A course costs $3,975 for the 10 to 12 week course. The next class begins in April. Class B runs $2,275 and its next class begins in January.

“We look for student success,” said Doyle. “Their road test is in Augusta around the Civic Center, Walmart area. There are a lot of tricky maneuvers there. The road test is like their final exam and they get checked off by the state.”

She had high words of praise for their instructor: “I think we are very lucky to have someone as dedicated as Roman. He has the experience and patients to see these students succeed.”