Lake Michigan College will soon launch a new program to teach commercial truck driving. Vice President of Student Affairs Leslie Kellogg tells WSJM News the trucking program is a private-public partnership between LMC and trucking firm N&M Transfer. N&M is currently building itself a facility at the LMC Niles campus.
“As part of our collaboration they donated two trucks that we will use in the program,” Kellogg said. “Those trucks were delivered to the college last week. Then we will also use their facility.”
Kellogg says the facility should be finished in January and the trucking program ready to roll in late February or early March.
“It’s a three week program, a total of 160 hours. It includes both classroom instruction and as much hands-on training as possible.”
Around 15 students will be taken in the first cohort, but they’ll expand from there. Kellogg says there’s great demand for new drivers in the trucking industry, and some students could find themselves being hired by N&M. The proximity of the LMC Niles campus to US-31 will mean students training on that highway, making trips to the South Haven campus. Anyone interested in learning more can call the Bertrand Crossing campus of Lake Michigan College.
