Bus and dump truck donated to CDL program
Published on November 30, 2023
NORTH EAST, Md.: The Cecil College Commercial Driver’s Licenses (CDL) program in North East, Md., has expanded its fleet with two generous vehicle donations. The Marshall Bus Company donated a school bus they expertly converted to train students for passenger bus certification. At the same time, Allan Myers Construction and Paving contributed a 35-ton dump truck with an automatic transmission for CDL-B licensure hauling certification training. These donations have increased Cecil College’s CDL fleet to 15 vehicles.
Director of Transportation Training Tina Durborow emphasized the importance of these donations, stating, “These contributions play a crucial role in training our students to operate the vehicles they will encounter after graduating from our program. The dump truck features some of the newest industry technology, making it a valuable asset for all our classes, not limited to B Class certification.”
Cecil College’s truck driving program follows a credential stacking format, progressively allowing students to enhance their qualifications. Students can earn a CDL-B license, enabling them to operate dump trucks and box trucks exceeding 26,001 pounds. Further options include obtaining a Passenger Bus endorsement and School Bus endorsement and training for the CDL-A license, which qualifies students to drive rigs pulling trailers over 10,001 pounds.
The newly acquired dump truck is a 2016 model with an automatic transmission and a tri-axle configuration, weighing over 70,000 pounds. Allan Myers repainted the truck before donating it, and the College branded the vehicle with signage acknowledging the donation. The truck features a DEF (diesel exhaust fluid) system, reducing air pollution from its diesel engine, and has accumulated approximately 200,000 miles on the engine. The CDL program also includes two standard transmission vehicles that enable students to qualify for automatic and standard transmission certifications.
Durborow highlighted Allan Myers’ long-standing support: “Allan Myers has been hiring graduates from Cecil’s program for the past decade, and they are deeply committed to supporting our program and giving back to the community.”
The donated bus was also customized with Cecil College’s CDL program branding. This 2010 vehicle, with 150,000 miles on the engine, was converted into a passenger bus to address the growing demand for charter bus drivers in Cecil and Harford counties.
Durborow explained, “We have been training Marshall school bus drivers for some time, and they were aware of our need to replace our current bus. When we teach the passenger bus curriculum, it’s easy to incorporate lessons that qualify students to take the school bus exam.”
Cecil College has an agreement with the Marshall Bus Company to lease a vehicle for additional training, enabling students to pursue the school bus endorsement. Students must complete their training and certification exams on a yellow school bus to obtain the school bus endorsement.