Wilmon and Carlissa Edwards started the vision of Trinity Truck Driving School in 2021. Trinity Truck Driving School is a startup truck driving school located in Lake Village, Arkansas. The school provides commercial truck driving training in a 4-week course to prepare students to acquire the CDL-Class A License. Wilmon manages the business while Carlissa works full-time as the Office Administrator and Wilmon’s uncle, a retired 40-year trucker, is the instructor.
Wilmon has always had a passion for helping people become the best version of themselves. Since the age of 15, Wilmon worked for his parent’s business, Wayne Edwards Auto. He also worked for major trucking companies, including J.B. Hunt and Penske. Wilmon used these years to learn everything he could about the trucking business.
Wilmon grew up in the Lake Village community and has had a concern for the economy there, for many years. He has always had the passion to provide an opportunity to open more jobs and provide financial stability for the area and the areas that are nearby. Carlissa has grown to love the community as well and wanted a way to give back. Carlissa has a professional background working in communications and real estate. She spent much of her career getting to know people and assisting them with their needs.
The Edwards knew that they wanted to give back. Wilmon knew that he wanted to use his previous management and trucking skills, so the couple put their heads together and started brainstorming. They knew that the one thing that continued to remain, in the middle of a pandemic, was trucking, Carlissa said. Many people and businesses relied on trucks to get them the goods needed to live and work, especially during a pandemic.
They decided to follow their dreams. They reached out to Communities Unlimited (CU) for their small business loan. The loan covered course materials, software and working capital to get the business started. The Edwards motto “Teamwork Makes the Dream Work” has carried them through the entire process of building their dream. The couple worked with CU’s Senior Management Consultant, Dale Rutherford, to formulate their projections.
The class consists of 3 to 4 students at a time and the Arkansas Division of Workforce Services, at the Workforce Center in Lake Village administers the tuition. They also intervene and provide additional assistance if the student requires it, to make sure that the student successfully passes the course and gets all the guidance that they need. Once the student has completed the training, they can go to work for any desired trucking company.
The Edwards are grateful that CU was there to assist with not only their loan, but also that CU was able to work with them on their business projections. Trinity Truck Driving School is in full force and has already sent multiple students through the course. Wilmon and Carlissa have several plans for the school’s future and hopes to influence many lives down the road.
Find out more about Trinity Truck Driving School by visiting https://www.trinitytruckdrivingschool.com or on Facebook.