CDL Training Center
Bill desRosiers
External Affairs Coordinator, Coterra Energy
Host, Shale Gas News

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[Editor’s Note: The CDL Training Center at Susquehanna County Career & Technology Center is a career maker and keeps moving ahead with new vehicles and additional services.]

The Susquehanna County Career & Technology Center CDL Training Center has received a new dump truck. Shiny and red and looking like it was just driven off a showroom floor, it’s hard to believe that the 1999 Kenworth is as old as it is. Its arrival is another solid step in expanding the Center and the services it provides to the community.

Looking forward to putting the new dump truck into service at the CDL Training Center are (from left) instructor James Billing, student Ryan Engstrom of New Milford, instructor Brian Eso, and students Matthew Orr of Meshoppen and Brendan Connolly of Montrose.

“It’s in beautiful shape,” said CDL Training Center instructor Brian Eso. Many of the students and faculty were getting their first look at the new addition to the fleet. It now features four different trailers and four trucks, including a 2012 Freightliner that Coterra Energy helped the school purchase in December 2021.

Offering Class A, B, and C Licenses

The dump truck allows the school to expand training and certification for Class A, B, and C licenses. “We’re happy where we are,” SCCTC executive director Alice Davis remarked. “It took us a while to get to this point.” The dump truck was purchased from local contractor Steve Borel, whom Alice credited with giving the school a very fair deal.

Coterra is excited about the program’s growth because demand for certified drivers continues to exceed enrollment. Adding additional trucks will expand the training capacity of the program by allowing more student driving time on the training center pad or the road. It also provides flexibility to schedule maintenance on the other vehicles, ensuring that students are getting their training hours in.

But the program is growing in other ways, as well. As of February 7, students entering the program must obtain a permit before starting instruction. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) set a new mandate that requires Entry-Level Drivers Training (ELDT) requirements for all commercial driver licenses.

New Federal CDL Guidelines & Testing Center

As of February 7, 2022, a new FMCSA mandate requires all new CDL applicants to enroll into an ELDT program. The SCCTC CDL Training Center is an approved program under this mandate. Here is a convenient registry of approved programs across the country.

Additionally, the school has become an approved testing site. Previously, students had to travel at least an hour to another PennDOT-approved location for testing in either Dunmore or Mansfield, Pennsylvania. Now students can complete almost every aspect of training and certification on the SCCTC campus. The only off-center requirement is the permit test, which still needs to be completed at a PennDot Driver License and Photo Center.

Students enrolled in other approved CDL programs or drivers looking to renew their CDL can choose the SCCTC CDL training center for testing.

Even before a driver is certified, SCCTC personnel are busy lining them up with prospective employers. At least nine companies maintain job opportunity information on a table just inside the classroom building.

“Many of our students get multiple job offers and pick what works best for them,” Eso explained. He noted that they also conduct mini job fairs and have SGFS and Eastern Freight Systems as visitors.

Join the Program

The next five-week day session course will run from March 21 to April 29, and applications are now being accepted. Tuition assistance and/or grants may be available to eligible candidates, including dual enrollment credits for high school seniors at least 18 years old. To learn more or register for CDL training, please visit the SCCTC website.