TCC receives another Department of Transportation grant that will benefit military-related students

The U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) awarded TCC the $199,879 grant, an increase from last year when the college received $107,271.

Administered at TCC by its Center for Military and Veterans Education, the grant will continue to support the training and placement of veterans and their spouses in one of the highest demand industries in Hampton Roads, where the average truck driver is more than 50 years old and approaching retirement.

“It’s important to continue to provide funding for TCC’s Truck Driver Training Program, which allows veterans and their families to prepare for successful, well-paying careers in the trucking industry,” said Bruce Brunson, executive director of the CMVE.

According to a recent report by the American Trucking Association, there will be a shortage of nearly 50,000 truck drivers in the United States by the end of this year.

TCC is one of 13 technical and community colleges and the only one in Virginia to receive funding provided through FMCSA’s Commercial Motor Vehicle – Operator Safety Training grant program. The FMCSA’s grants will provide training for nearly 400 new students throughout the nation, including 40 at TCC.

“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 Scott Darling, FMCSA acting administrator. “The men and women who complete these commercial truck driving programs also serve our country in a vital way by making safety their top priority every mile, every day.”

For more information on the grant for TCC’s Truck Driver Training Program, contact Al Jackson at 757-822-7761 or axjackson@tcc.edu.