Sampson Community College has put on a fresh new face the past few months and when it comes to one of its most popular programs, the same applies. This year, the college appointed a new president, orchestrated a new entryway into the college and is developing brand new programs. Now, SCC’s Truck Driver Training program is getting a makeover that will last the next several weeks.
SCC’s rigs are getting pulled apart and repainted to improve the look on the trucks, which serve as moving billboards for the college. A visit to Davis’ Auto Body and Paint in Clinton is testament to that. In about one month, workers will piece them back together and show off their handiwork.
“She’s in a thousand pieces right now,” says Amanda Bradshaw, dean of Workforce Development and Continuing Education referring to one of the trucks. “The paint has deteriorated over the years so this will be a welcome facelift for the trucks and our fleet will look like new again.”
The program has become known nationwide as one of the premier schools in the country for the quality of training. It is the most cost-efficient program of its kind in the United States. The makeover serves to uphold that image with the equipment put on the road that bears the SCC brand. A new paint job is only half the story though.
For years, the training grounds resided at the Ag Provision Lot in Kenansville, 27 miles away from main campus in Clinton. Now, work has begun on a new training facility located in the Industrial Park area in Clinton.
“The program has grown over the years,” says Fred Stamey, coordinator and lead instructor. “The new site will offer growth for the program so we can train more students for a new career in the trucking industry.”
One of the major benefits for the students will be the travel time to and from school. Stamey says the move will cut commute time to about one-third for out of town students, a particular benefit as the price of gasoline continues to rise.
The ultimate goal is to expand the current enrollment of 24 students per class to 32 students per class. As if the program didn’t have long lines of students as it were, the college is developing a training class for Class “B” licenses which include straight trucks and dump trucks as well. For more information about the Truck Driver Training program at SCC, contact Fred Stamey at [email protected] or at 910-900-4042.