The college received a grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration to help veterans achieve a CDL. The college has also received federal funding to construct a new Commercial Driver’s License Instruction Center.
Stark State College is advancing its Commercial Driver’s License program following receiving a grant to help veterans enter into the program, and receiving federal funding to construct a new building to house the CDL program. The Commercial Motor Vehicle Operator Safety Training (CMVOST) grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration will assist veterans and members of the military to enter into careers in transportation. Federal funding from the US Congress will allow the college to build a new Commercial Driver’s License Instruction Center on the site of its current training center.
According to an article about the federal funding on Stark State College’s website, Ohio U.S. Senator Jon Husted, who helped secure the funding, was quoted as saying, “Stark State’s CDL Instruction Center will provide classrooms, faculty offices, a computer lab, and a breakroom for Akron students pursuing their commercial driver’s licenses. The facility will employ 20 Ohioans and train up to 250 CDL drivers each year. I was proud to help Stark State secure $875,000 for this program, which will open the door to good-paying, in-demand careers and strengthen Ohio’s workforce and supply chain.”
Currently, the college offers its CDL training in a mobile office building in Akron. The funding will allow for the construction of a permanent space for students to learn in, including classrooms and a computer lab. It will also hold faculty offices. The mobile office building will still be used while the new building is under construction, which is expected to begin in the Fall of 2026.
Stark State College’s president Para M. Jones, Ph.D., said, “We are grateful to Senator Husted for securing these funds for Stark State College’s CDL program, which is serving the critical need for well-trained, safe truck drivers. CDL is a critical need across the nation, but especially critical in Ohio, where we manufacture and move products to the rest of the nation and world.”
In a separate article on Stark State College’s website, the Commercial Motor Vehicle Operator Safety Training (CMVOST) grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is described, as well as how the grant funding will also serve to bolster the college’s CDL program.
The grant, which totals $88,688, will help veterans and current military members, as well as their families, transition into transportation careers. The grant will cover the total tuition and fees for up to 12 of these individuals to pursue a CDL through Stark State College. The college offers both Class A and Class B training, and students will be able to complete their program within a matter of weeks, entering into the in-demand trucking career.
For more information about Stark State College, visit the school’s website.