LVMAC Tidbit: NCC provides free truck driver training to veterans and their families

U.S Department of Transportation’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) helps NCC provide free Class A CDL training programs to veterans and their families. 

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This August, Northampton Community College (NCC) received a $163,200 grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) to provide free Class A truck driving training to 40 current or former members of the United States Armed Forces, their spouses and adult children.  NCC will recruit qualified students, provide them with superior safety-focused training, support them through successful program completion, and provide placement services to assist them in becoming employed in the transportation industry.

“Students coming out of the CDL Class A program will be highly employable in a high demand, high priority occupation. Veterans are particularly successful in our CDL Class A Truck Driving program and get jobs at local companies such as FT Silfies, Lily Transportation, XPO Logistics, Heller Gas, Pocono Pro Foods, and more, along with regional and national companies,” Tracey Johnson, NCC grants director, says.

FMCSA awarded nearly $80 million in grants to states and educational institutions to enhance commercial motor vehicle (CMV) safety. NCC was one of 20 educational institutions to receive this Commercial Motor Vehicle Operator Safety Training (CMVOST) grant. NCC’s grant will help fill a regional shortage of skilled, licensed professional truck drivers and qualified programs that provide adequate operator safety training to meet the region’s growing transportation industry’s employment needs.

Students may call 570-369-1885 or visit bit.ly/CDLVet to find more information on this program.

Recently separated veterans who were truck drivers in the military should also read our November 2018 article on the need for commercial truck drivers in this valley and the CDL SKills Test waiver that the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) allows under Act 183 of 2008.

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As of 26 August 2020