LCCC Receives Two-Year Grant to Support CDL Training to Military and Underserved Students

Schnecksville, Pa., Sept. 4, 2024 – Lehigh Carbon Community College is one of 27 colleges or training centers in the country and one of only two in Pennsylvania to receive a federal grant that provides funding to former and current military service members and their families, as well as underserved students to pursue careers as commercial truck drivers.

The college will receive $135,600 of the total $3.5 million awarded nationwide for this two-year grant, which will go to provide scholarships for the CDL training program, valued at $5,650 each. Funds will support approximately 20 veterans and/or their family members and an additional four underserved students.

The funds come from the U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) through the Commercial Motor Vehicle Operator Safety Training (CMVOST) Grant Program.

The mission of FMCSA is to reduce crashes, injuries and fatalities involving large trucks and buses. The grant seeks to reduce the severity and number of crashes on our nation’s roads involving large trucks and buses by expanding the number of CDL holders possessing enhanced operator safety training.

Funds will address the growing need for drivers in the rapidly expanding trucking industry. The grant will assist current or former members of the United States Armed Forces (including National Guard members and Reservists) and their spouses or children to receive CDL training and job search support in order to gain employment in the commercial motor vehicle operation industry.

Commercial truck driving is considered a high priority occupation in the region and offers strong employment possibilities and family sustaining wages.

The CDL program at LCCC teaches the knowledge and skills drivers need using a combination of classroom, driving range and on-road training. The program offers four- and eight-week options in both day and evening classes and is in partnership with Ancora Training. Experienced instructors help prepare students to take and pass their state’s Commercial Driver’s License test.

For additional information on the CDL program and scholarships, contact Julie Trumbauer, (610) 799-1942, or jtrumbauer@lccc.edu.