ECTC Wherever I May Roam Truck Driving Academy relocates

Elizabethtown Community and Technical College’s Commercial Driver’s License training program is now operating at a new training lot at 126 Ring Road.

The move to a more convenient location for students is made possible through a partnership with the City of Elizabethtown.

“Workforce development is essential to supporting the continued growth of our industrial park, and CDL training is an important part of that workforce pipeline,” said Elizabethtown Mayor Jeff Gregory. “Our industries depend on skilled commercial drivers to move materials and products efficiently, and this new training lot is a great example of what can happen when community partners come together to address a critical need. The City of Elizabethtown is proud to partner in this effort and invest in opportunities that help prepare our workforce for the jobs of today and tomorrow.”

The new location provides space for students and instructors to maneuver the big rigs and conduct classroom sessions in ECTC’s Mobile Training Unit. Co-located with city’s softball complex, the CDL program operates Monday through Friday during business hours, before athletes are using the complex.

Known as the Wherever I May Roam Truck Driving Academy, the training program is named in honor of the band Metallica. The program launched in 2020 through generous grant funding from the Metallica Scholars Initiative, a collaboration of the American Association of Community Colleges and All Within My Hands, the non-profit, philanthropic organization created by the members and management of Metallica.

ECTC’s CDL program serves a broad range of students, ECTC Vice Chancellor of Workforce Solutions Jim Rachlin said.  This includes employees sent by their companies to build new skills, individuals retraining for new careers, self-funded students and participants supported through the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act.

“This new training lot gives our students a dedicated, convenient place to develop the skills employers need,” Rachlin said. “By working with the City of Elizabethtown, we are expanding access to training that can lead directly to good jobs while helping meet the region’s demand for skilled commercial drivers.”

Program graduates continue to enter a field with strong employer demand. Last year, 81 of the 83 students who completed the program secured truck-driving jobs soon afterward, Rachlin said.

The lot opening also coincides with Manufacturing Month, underscoring the role of workforce training and transportation in supporting regional employers and strengthening the local economy. Skilled CDL drivers are essential to the manufacturing sector, ensuring that raw materials reach production facilities and finished products reach customers safely and efficiently.

New CDL classes begin twice a month, with no classes in December. For more information, visit ectc.us/cdl or contact CDL Program Coordinator Trish Smallwood at 270-706-8645 or psmallwood0011@kctcs.edu.