This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.
Carteret CC Receives Tractor Trailer Donation
Morehead City, N.C. (September 4, 2020) – On September 9, Carteret Community College will expand its Commercial Driver License (CDL) program by accepting a donation for an automatic tractor and refrigerated trailer from the Crystal Coast Country Club and its owner, PKS LLC, along with Ryder System, Inc.
“We believe in this community and the college,” said Jason Wordsworth, president of PKS LLC. “With this donation we hope that it will give the students an opportunity for success. From the citizens that complete the course and receive their CDL’s, to the mechanic program that can learn and physically work on the tractor, trailer, refrigeration and freezer unit. We hope and believe that this donation increases the opportunities and incomes of the students and families that call this county home.”
The Crystal Coast Country Club and its owner, PKS LLC, are strong supporters of Carteret Community College. The 2010 freight-liner donation will allow the College to expand its CDL program. Prior to the truck donation, Carteret CC partnered with Craven Community College and shared a tractor trailer and revenue from enrollments between the two programs. Now the College will be able to operate the program on its own and have a truck on campus full-time. Additionally, the refrigerated trailer will serve as emergency storage for the College’s Culinary and Baking & Pastry program in the event of an extended power outage due to natural disasters.
“This is an incredible opportunity for Carteret Community College and our community,” said Dr. Tracy Mancini, president of Carteret Community College. “We value our relationship with the Crystal Coast Country Club and its board members. With so many workers displaced from the COVID-19 pandemic, it is paramount that the College offer short-term training programs to get people back to work in high-demand, high-wage jobs. This donation will allow us to do just that. Students taking the course can be job-ready in just three months.”
The CDL program at Carteret Community College is designed to provide students with the necessary training before entering into the workforce. Currently, the transportation industry has a shortage of 60,000 drivers, according to the American Trucking Associations (ATA). Students in the program study for their Class A Commercial Driver’s Licenses by receiving classroom instruction and experiencing behind-the-wheel truck driving. Students who successfully complete the course are eligible for immediate employment. A recent indeed.com posting indicates the average salary for truck drivers is $61,250 with some companies such as Sysco and Walmart paying over $86,000 a year.
The fall CDL class is scheduled to start September 9. Interested students should contact Rick McCormac, Director of Workplace Training, at (252) 222-6203 or [email protected]. Students wishing to register are required to obtain a DOT physical and five-panel drug screening and submit a copy of their driving record for the past five years.
For more information about programs at Carteret Community College, please visit www.carteret.edu.