On Monday, June 26, Danville Community College (DCC), in partnership with the Danville Community College Educational Foundation (DCCEF) unveiled the latest in Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) Training technology – a new, state-of-the-art CDL training simulator.
Made possible by donations from the City of Danville and Pittsylvania County, the simulator offers realistic behind-the-wheel experience in a variety of vehicles with an array of settings. Students can hop into the driver’s seat of a tractor trailer truck, a school bus, a fire truck, and many other vehicles that require a special license to operate.
“The excitement around today’s CDL Simulator unveiling can be attributed to the resurgence of Danville Community College,” said Shannon Hair, vice president of Institutional Advancement and Development at DCC and executive director of the DCC Educational Foundation. “This resurgence has elevated our community impact and financial support from our donors so that, in turn, Danville Community College can purchase state-of-the-art equipment to support our growing enrollment. Without the financial commitment of the City of Danville and Pittsylvania County, today’s event would not have been possible.”
The CDL Simulator not only replicates the feeling of being behind a variety of different vehicles, but it also simulates varying weather conditions, such as rain, snow, black ice, and high wind.
“It is critical that our students learn how to operate these vehicles in an array of weather conditions for their safety and the safety of others on the road,” said Mark Funkey, vice president of Workforce Services for DCC. “There is rarely the opportunity to learn these kinds of skills during live training, but most long-haul truck drivers will encounter these conditions during their careers. Our hope is that the lessons learned from the CDL Simulator will provide the knowledge our students need to stay safe in their careers, well into the future.”
The City of Danville and Pittsylvania County, in response to the shortage of CDL drivers across the region and nation, supported the purchase of this technology with generous contributions.
“Today’s CDL Simulator Unveiling is another example of the collaboration between the City of Danville, Pittsylvania County, and Danville Community College,” said Alonzo Jones, Mayor of the City of Danville. “The City Council has said before, and I will say it again, we are going to continue to invest in education in our community and today’s event demonstrates that investment.”
“The Board of Supervisors recognizes the need and industry shortage for CDL drivers in our county,” said Darrell Dalton, Chair of the Pittsylvania County Board of Supervisors. “When Danville Community College presented this opportunity to partner with the City of Danville to help fund this piece of equipment, it made perfect sense to us. We unanimously supported their request. Today’s unveiling is another example of communities working together for the good of our citizens and businesses in the City of Danville and Pittsylvania County.”
DCC hosted the CDL Simulator Unveiling event at the Regional Center for Advanced Technology & Training (RCATT) on Slayton Avenue. DCC Advisory Board Members and DCCEF Board Members attended alongside representatives from the City of Danville and Pittsylvania County. In addition, VCCS State Board member, Ms. Terri Thompson, was also in attendance.
"On behalf of the DCC Educational Foundation Board of Directors, we applaud the partnership between Danville Community College, the City of Danville, and Pittsylvania County,” said Portia Fitzgerald, DCC Educational Foundation Board Member. “Under the new leadership of Dr. Jerry Wallace, the impossible has become possible at DCC. The CDL Simulator is a perfect example of the college responding to community and industry needs. When the DCC Educational Foundation can play a role in that response, it’s a win for everyone involved.”
DCC launched its CDL training program in partnership with Ancora Education in March of this year. In the three months since, the program has trained 5 cohorts producing 19 licensed CDL drivers.
For more information about Danville Community College or CDL Training Opportunities, visit www.danville.edu.
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