Eastern Iowa Community Colleges (EICC) recently received more than $875,000 in grants designed to expand and enhance the college’s truck driving program.
The college received $797,000 from Iowa Workforce Development to expand its Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) program and facilities. It will open the program that currently has a backlog to three times the number of students.
The Iowa CDL Infrastructure Grant will allow EICC to establish a new training site in Muscatine, add three more DOT-approved training ranges at the Blong Technology Center in Davenport; and purchase four tractor-trailer combinations equipped with modern Electronic Logging Devices.
“Due to constraints related to equipment and the number of facilities, the demand for our CDL program is outpacing our ability to train everyone. By establishing a new training facility in Muscatine and expanding those at the Blong, we will more than double our capacity for students,” said EICC’s Dean of Manufacturing & Skilled Trades Matt Schmit.
“And the new, advanced equipment will provide efficiencies that allow students a quicker transition from classroom to career,” said Mr. Schmit. He added that timing is essential as there is an immediate need for qualified drivers. “In our region, truck drivers are consistently in high demand. We have the interest from students, demand from local employers, and funds to connect more students to employment.”
Iowa needs 10K drivers
According to the state, Iowa will need more than 10,000 commercial drivers each year through 2030.
“The pathway to finding a job as a truck driver, one of our most-needed occupations, runs through getting a CDL license,” said Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds. “It’s important that we do everything we can to not only make it easier for individuals to obtain these licenses, but also to support the long-term viability of the programs that made it possible to gain that experience right here in Iowa.”
In total, Iowa awarded $4.8 million in CDL Infrastructure Grants to 10 community colleges. With these new investments, the colleges’ CDL programs will be able to train an additional 1,305 drivers a year.
In addition to the state grant, the college received $80,460 from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. The Commercial Motor Vehicle Operator Safety Training (CMVOST) grant program seeks to reduce the severity and number of crashes on our Nation’s roads involving CMVs by expanding the number of commercial driver’s license (CDL) holders who have enhanced operator safety training.
The priority set by Congress is to assist entities that recruit and train current or former members of the U.S. Armed Forces in obtaining a CDL. That includes the National Guard and Reservists, and their spouses. EICC will use the funding to establish a program focused on training service members.
