FMSCA Aiding Vets by Sending Driver-Training Grants to Community Colleges
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is awarding $1 million in grants to nine technical and community colleges to help train returning military veterans as bus and truck drivers.
“Those that we entrust to protect and serve our nation deserve opportunities that utilize the skills and training they received on the job on military bases overseas and at home,” Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx said in the Oct. 21 announcement.
“We can think of none more appropriate to safeguard our highways as commercial vehicle drivers than the thousands of veterans who have already proven they can safely handle large vehicles under extremely stressful circumstances.”
FMCSA acting Administrator Scott Darling said, “These unique grants are designed to help recruit, train and place veterans and their spouses in good jobs that are in high demand and in an industry that is vitally important in keeping our national economy moving forward.”
Those who graduate from the training programs go on serving the nation by delivering needed goods “professionally, efficiently and, most importantly, safely,” Darling said.
Congress created the grant program in 2005 to increase the supply of those holding commercial driver licenses who would have what FMCSA described as “enhanced operator safety training to help reduce the severity and number of crashes on U.S. roads involving large trucks and buses.”
The grants to underwrite training for nearly 400 new students went to the following institutions and groups:
South Florida State College, Avon Park, Fla., $58,003
Joliet Junior College, Joliet, Ill., $165,800
Century College in White Bear Lake, Minn.. $91,080
Crowder College, Neosho, Mo., $72,160
Metropolitan Community College, Omaha, Neb.; $47,614
Northampton County Area Community College, Bethlehem, Pa., $134,400
The Sage Corp., Camp Hill, Pa., $249,968
Lone Star College-North Harris, Houston, $73,704
Tidewater Community College, Norfolk, Va., $107,271
