CDL site eyed — Local training could cut travel

A proposed commercial driver’s license training and testing site in Newcastle could allow local students and adults to train and test for a CDL closer to home, if Weston County School District No. 1 and Eastern Wyoming College can resolve questions about the location and who would pay for possible damage.

Local demand

EWC CDL Program Director Ed Kimes told the district’s board of trustees Aug. 12 that the college wants to establish a state-approved basic controls skills range in Newcastle where EWC instructors could train students and its third-party examiners could conduct CDL testing. The range would serve EWC students, including high school students, as well as adults enrolled in the college’s CDL program.

In an interview with the News Letter Journal, Superintendent Brad LaCroix called the proposal a rare opportunity for students and the community.

“I just think it opens up some doors,” LaCroix said.

Kimes said EWC serves a six-county area that includes Weston and Crook counties and selected Newcastle in part to expand CDL training in the area. A Newcastle location would also allow EWC to train and test drivers for local trucking companies and others seeking a CDL.

“We have a considerable number of drivers within this area that would like to train and test,” Kimes told trustees. “This gives us a means to meet the needs of the community, both the high school’s and the general public.”

Newcastle does not currently have semi-truck CDL testing, Kimes said. Newcastle-area drivers seeking state testing now go to Gillette, while EWC’s approved testing sites are in Douglas and Torrington.

Finding a site

Kimes said EWC tried to use the Newcastle port of entry for the course, but the request was denied because the site was too small and already contained a motorcycle testing area.

EWC would like to use the far end of the parking lot next to the Newcastle High School sports field, according to Kimes. Trustees and district officials also discussed the “outback” area behind the high school and the concrete training area at the district transportation facility.

At the Aug. 26 meeting, trustees questioned whether repeated tractor-trailer use could damage district property and, if so, who would pay for repairs. At both meetings, trustees and district officials also questioned whether district major-maintenance money should cover repairs tied partly to public use.

Kimes told the NLJ that EWC uses parking areas at other school districts for CDL training without problems, but the college’s administration would have to evaluate what share of maintenance and repairs, if any, that the college would assume. Kimes referred questions about that issue to EWC Vice President of Administrative Services Patrick Korell, who was not available for comment by press time.

As for the district’s costs, LaCroix said the district is “not really paying for anything right now.” He is exploring
donor support, including possible scholarships and assistance with replacing asphalt with concrete if CDL use damages the surface.

Job-ready skills

Beyond providing a closer testing location, district and college officials say the program could give students workforce credentials before graduation. A Newcastle testing location could support CDL training and testing for tractor-trailers, buses and school buses, fire equipment and other vehicles requiring a CDL, Kimes told the NLJ.

He said at the meeting that 10 students were signed up for the high school CDL program. LaCroix later told the NLJ that he believed 12 students were signed up for spring. High school students and adult CDL students would train at separate times, according to Kimes.

LaCroix said he believes community support for the program reflects interest in giving students skills they can use soon after graduation.

“People would like to see kids come out with a definite job skill that they could put to work tomorrow,” LaCroix said.

The district is continuing to work with EWC on the site and maintenance questions. The agenda for the board’s Sept. 9 meeting includes the college’s request as an item for discussion.

How the range works

Eastern Wyoming College’s proposed CDL basic controls skills range would require about 40 by 260 feet of space, generally on asphalt or concrete. Drivers would complete four maneuvers: a forward stop within a marked box, a 100-foot straight-line back, a parallel park and a reverse offset back into a designated box.

EWC would measure, paint and maintain the course markings and work with the state to obtain approval for testing. EWC CDL Program Director Ed Kimes said loaded trucks would not be used for range maneuvers or testing; loaded-truck training would take place on the road.

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