DMV Working to Keep Up with Oilfield Driver Demand

The demand for truck drivers in the eastern Montana oilfields has the state Motor Vehicle Division and driving schools scrambling to keep up.

Attorney General Steve Bullock says the agency's Motor Vehicle Division is adding new Commercial Driver's License examiner positions in Sidney and Glendive and upgrading current license examiners in Billings, Great Falls, Missoula, Kalispell and Polson.

Carmella Campanian of Sage Trucking School in Billings tells The Billings Gazette enrollment has been double the normal for the past seven months while classes at its Missoula campus are also full.

The state Department of Transportation reports that 20 employees with commercial driver's licenses have resigned to take Bakken jobs. The agency has more than 700 drivers with CDLs.