More than 60 San Quentin Rehabilitation Center residents received recognition on May 15 for their completion of a trucking class taught by Concrete Rose. They had passed the nearly year-long theory portion necessary for obtaining a Class A commercial driver’s license.

An opportunity to practice heavy-load driving in a simulator gave the aspiring commercial truck drivers bright expectations.

“My family is involved in the trucking industry,” resident Miguel Frias, 39, said. “It means so much to me that I have their support. Now they can see that I am doing something while incarcerated that can help set me up for success when I parole.”

Autumn O’Bannon founded Concrete Rose as a commercial driver’s license training school with her father, former San Quentin resident Vincent E. O’Bannon. The father’s parole two weeks prior to the event prevented him from attending.

After having worked in the trucking industry for 13 years, Autumn O’Bannon said she first saw a need for quality drivers during her pregnancy.

Struggling to keep her truck, she created a five-year plan to start a truck-trailer business that she later turned into Concrete Rose. She said the book “A Rose that Grew from Concrete,” written by Tupac Shakur, inspired her to use the name.

“This program gives everybody an opportunity to come out of prison and make a career,” said graduate Burley Vanderpool. “I would love to travel across the United States and wake up somewhere different every day.”

Vanderpool said he has spent his whole life behind bars and has little coming from Social Security. At 70 years old, he wanted a less physically demanding job. He said the HAZMAT training resonated most with him.

Virage Simulator representative Debra Quackenbush spoke about the enhanced hands-on training on a simulator her company offered. She showed a video that presented the simulator’s capabilities.

The simulator would provide instruction for students to conduct pre-trip inspections, for driving under various weather conditions, and for other real life scenarios.

Autumn O’Bannon said she hoped to see the simulator operating in San Quentin’s new education center.

“You guys have completed the very important first step,” Quackenbush said.

Warden Chance Andes congratulated graduates and told a story of his experiences with a childhood friend’s father who worked as a truck driver and whom he greatly respected.

“This training provides you with an opportunity to succeed in the community,” Andes said.

Resident Tymarc Warren, 40, said the curriculum afforded him a comprehensive understanding of the commercial truck driving industry prior to parole.

“Driving is a viable option for me to make money right away until I get my trucking business running,” the graduate said.

Warren’s guest Laura A. took pleasure in celebrating Warren’s accomplishment. She said she had known about a need for commercial drivers since the pandemic.

“It is good that there is a class like Concrete Rose. About Warren, she said, “This has been a long process for him but it is nice to see him outside of visiting.”

Motivational speaker, mentor, and reentry advocate Damian Posey spoke to attendees about hope. “I see individuals who are turning tragedy into triumph,” Posey said.

He said this visit marked his first time back at San Quentin since 2001.

“It is not just about trucking and applications, it is about understanding self and loving self. The support is there to help you thrive so keep that hope in your heart and inspire the next individual,” Posey said.

Resident John Gearhart said he found facilitating for the class a lot of work because of a second cohort conducted in Spanish. Gearhart credited the trucking experience of his fellow facilitators to the success in teaching the students practical applications for running cargo safely and efficiently.

“Coming from this [prison] environment, everyone is handicapped,” Gearhart said. “We help overcome that because this industry is based on ability and what you can do, not where you came from.”