The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has awarded $2.3 million in grants to 13 technical and community colleges across the U.S. to help train veterans and their families for jobs commercial drivers.
The funding is provided through FMCSA’s Commercial Motor Vehicle Operator Safety Training grant program.
“We support job opportunities for veterans who have served our country, but not only because it is the right thing to do, it also makes good sense,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx. “One of the most important, fastest-growing employment sectors is for qualified commercial vehicle drivers and veterans bring invaluable experience to the industry and can enter the workforce quickly.”
The $2.3 million awarded this year is double the amount that was awarded in 2014.
“We doubled the amount we have previously provided through this grant program because of the important role qualified commercial truck and bus drivers hold in moving our economy forward,” said FMCSA Acting Administrator Scott Darling. “The men and women who complete these commercial driver training programs also serve our country in a vital way by making safety their top priority every mile, every day.”
The 2015 FMCSA grants were made to the following schools:
- California – West Hills Community College District, Coalinga, $199,460
- Georgia – Central Georgia Technical College, Macon, $146,771
- Maryland – Cecil College, North East, $101,825
- New York – Erie 2 Chautauqua Cattaraugus BOCES, Angola, $105,201
- North Carolina – North Carolina Department of Transportation, Raleigh, $200,000
- Ohio – Cuyahoga Community College District, Cleveland, $195,040
- Oklahoma – Central Technical Center, Drumright, $200,000
- Pennsylvania – Lancaster County Career & Technology Center, Willow Street, $194,811
- Pennsylvania – Northampton County Area Community College, Bethlehem, $134,400
- Pennsylvania – The Sage Corporation, Camp Hill, $198,504
- South Carolina – Orangeburg-Calhoun Technical College, Orangeburg, $197,399
- Texas – Alamo Colleges/St. Philip’s College, San Antonio, $196,680
- Virginia – Tidewater Community College, Norfolk, $199,879
