'The Beginning of the Rest of My Life': USU Trucking Program Helps Turn a Life Around

When Angela Bloom found herself in front of drug court — for the second time in her 25-year-long battle with addiction — she was presented with three options: get a job, do community service, or go to school.

She found herself picking up trash on the side of the road and contemplated getting a job at Subway, but she realized she wanted to do something more with her life.

Instead, she enrolled in the trucking program at Utah State University Eastern. When Bloom sat down on the first day of class, she instantly felt a sense of belonging.

“From the day I walked in there, I never felt judged,” she said. “I never felt like I didn’t belong, or that I wasn’t capable of driving a truck or being as good as the person sitting next to me.”

She was surrounded by classmates who were all looking to improve their lives and provide for their families, just like she was.

“When everyone showed up to class, no one was watching the clock and waiting to get out of there,” she said. “Everybody genuinely wanted to be there and learn everything they could to be the best truck driver that they could be when they finish the program.”

Offered at both the USU Blanding campus and USU Eastern campus in Price, the USU trucking program is a combination of one-on-one driver training, instruction in the laws and regulations involved in commercial driving operations, and hands-on experience to help prepare students for a trucking career. Students leave the program with a certificate of proficiency and are prepared to get their commercial driver license.

“We are proud of our trucking program here in Price,” said Leon McElprang, the lead instructor in the USU trucking program. “We set high standards to challenge our students. It sets us apart from other programs and ensures we produce the best drivers that we can.”

Though Bloom enjoyed learning about trucking, it didn’t always come easy to her. The first time she got behind the wheel, she only made it a mile down the road before being overwhelmed and having to pull over for a break. But she didn’t let these early struggles stop her. Bloom kept learning and improving, showing up every single day and giving it her all.

Bloom graduated and received her commercial driver license in November of 2021. She began working for K9 Transport soon afterward, hauling coal between mines and power plants.

“School gave me the confidence and the knowledge I needed to try something new and branch out,” she said.

Qualified drivers are in high demand, with numerous high-paying and stable jobs available.

“The current industry is booming unlike any time I’ve ever seen before,” McElprang said. “There are countless high-paying trucking companies hiring our students straight out of class.”

It didn’t take long for Bloom to set herself apart as an exceptional truck driver at K9 Transport. Her reliability, responsibility, vigilance, willingness to take on extra shifts, and sense of pride in the job led to her becoming the lead day shift driver by early 2022.

Bloom lists the many perks of her job: stability, an office with a view, and new challenges to tackle every day. Her set route and 12-hour shifts with K9 Transport leads to the best perk of all: being able to see her kids every night before bed.

“I love my job,” she said. “It makes me feel on top of the world. Being in recovery, being sober and being able to do this and have people tell me I’m doing a good job; it’s so rewarding.”

Most of all, Bloom is grateful that the company gave her a chance and trusted her despite her troubled past.

“I’m not ashamed to talk about what’s happened in my life because I don’t identify with the person in my past,” she said. “I’ve changed. My mindset and my habits have changed.”

Bloom is currently in therapy to address the underlying issues behind her addiction. Her need for drugs and alcohol was already out of control when her husband died by suicide in 2012, but the trauma of his death fueled her addiction even more.

She credits therapy for her renewed sobriety and positive outlook on life.

“I realized I’m either all in or all out,” she said. “And now I’m all out. I am two years clean this April and I’m never going back. It’s been the beginning of the rest of my life.”

Another huge part of her recovery has been the sense of accomplishment and satisfaction she gained from completing USU’s trucking program and building a solid career.

“For a lot of things in my life, I’ve just settled, thinking, ‘I guess this is as good as it’s going to get,’” she said. “But to challenge myself by going to school, learning something new, doing something I never thought I would do, and finding out I really love it and I’m good at it, it’s been awesome.”

Bloom now has a supportive boyfriend who is also in recovery. Together they had to rebuild their lives from rock bottom. They motivate each other to continue working hard in recovery as well as in their respective careers, him as an electrician and Bloom with her trucking career.

Bloom hopes to inspire others with her story.

“Everybody is capable of change, and this program showed me that I didn’t have to live the life I was living,” she said. “Our pasts do not define us. It’s never too late. You can always build a better life for yourself.”

To learn more about the USU trucking program and other programs that offer technical knowledge and job-ready skills, visit https://caas.usu.edu/tdte/.