U.S. Rep Henry Cuellar, top, sits aboard an 18-wheeler while South Texas College President Ricardo J. Solis, left, joins other college and community leaders to celebrate the expansion of a commercial driver’s license program to Starr County on Tuesday, May 10, 2022, in Rio Grande City.
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South Texas College partnered with Trancasa, an international ground transportation company, to enroll students into a commercial driver’s license program that has now expanded to Starr County.
Nationwide, there is a shortage of about 80,000 truck drivers, and STC and Trancasa want to change that.
The company already operates a fleet of 700 trucks, with 450 operating in Mexico and 250 in the United States, but more drivers are needed. So the partnership with STC aims to create more opportunities to train them.
U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Laredo, spoke Tuesday about the nationwide need for drivers and the potential impact on the Rio Grande Valley.
“The growing need for trucking drivers threatens our ability to keep up with trade demands,” Cuellar said in a news release. “This commercial driver’s license program will help us keep trucks on the road and ensure that trade remains strong in the Rio Grande Valley. I thank South Texas College President, Dr. Ricardo Solis, for his vision to create this program that will help meet local labor demands through quality education and training.”
The first classes of the program began earlier this year in January at STC’s Pecan Campus in McAllen.
Throughout the course of the program, students will receive 200 hours of in-class and hands-on training.
Now the program has expanded to STC’s Starr County campus, where classes are expected to begin this fall.
STC Director of Communication Lynda Lopez said Tuesday that 14 students recently graduated from the program. Lopez said school officials hope that number will double with the implementation of the program in Starr County.
