CDL driving range relocated to Middletown Campus

This is not a trick – Laurel Ridge Community College is relocating its commercial truck driving range to the Middletown Campus starting Oct. 31. To mark the occasion, the program is hosting a trunk or treat and a tour for Laurel Ridge students and staff on Halloween day.

While the college has been offering CDL classes for more than five years, the on-the-road training had been conducted in the parking lot of a former manufacturing facility in Warren County.

“We are grateful to Warren County and Front Royal officials for their support in hosting the range portion of the CDL training,” said Laurel Ridge Community College Workforce Solutions Vice President Jeanian Clark. “However, the location is very basic, with no access to electricity, water, appropriate restrooms, warm shelter, or food options. The truck driving program now serves more than 200 students each year, and we need to provide a more user-friendly experience to our CDL students, just as we do for all of the college’s students.”

The new range will be in a section of the parking lot on the southeastern portion of the Middletown Campus. According to Clark, it has been inspected and approved by the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles. Student drivers will use the range to perform maneuvers such as backing up and operating around cones and conducting safety inspections.

“A few times a day, two or three trucks may leave the campus to do the road trip portion of the training program,” said Clark. “In general, having the trucks on campus will create no additional traffic.”

Laurel Ridge offers CDL classes in partnership with Ancora Education. Students can complete the class and become truck drivers in as little as four weeks. The shortage of truck drivers in the U.S. has grown to 80,000.

Virginia residents can see the $4,500 tuition reduced to just $1,500 thanks to FastForward grant funding. Additional funding – based on student income – can bring that cost down to zero for qualified students.

Learn more about Laurel Ridge’s CDL program at laurelridgeworkforce.com/CDL.