The nation is facing a longstanding truck driver shortage, and Fayetteville Technical Community College is doing its part to tackle the problem in the Sandhills Region and across the state.
FTCC broke ground on Phase I of the Regional Supply Chain Management & Logistics Center on Sept. 15, celebrating the clearing of a 58-acre site on Old Raeford Road that will serve as the future home of the college’s truck driver training program and fleet maintenance technician program. The $21.2 million project will be built in two phases. Phase I consists of a 600-by-900-foot driving and maneuvering pad that will provide vital training space for students in the Commercial Driver’s License Program. The 13-acre pad will accommodate up to 14 tractor trailer trucks and include a gear shifting track and skid area. The first phase is expected to open in December 2025. The truck pad will provide vital training space for FTCC students, as well as CDL students from regional partners Bladen Community College and Robeson Community College, serving as a regional hub for training allowing all three colleges to expand enrollment for the trucking and supply chain sectors.
FTCC President Dr. Mark Sorrells said the new facility will reduce student waitlists and streamline the region’s workforce pipeline.
“The transportation industry urgently needs more qualified truck drivers to strengthen the supply chain for our state and nation,” Sorrells said. “This new facility will significantly expand training capacity across all three colleges, enabling us to produce more graduates to meet the growing demand for skilled professionals in the transportation sector.”
Phase II will focus on the construction of a 5,000-square-foot building to house classrooms, offices and a two-bay garage for the maintenance of tractors and trailers. The second phase will go out to bid in early 2026.
The construction project is made possible through $20.7 million in funding from the North Carolina General Assembly and a $500,000 grant from the Golden LEAF Foundation. To support the growth of the program, the Cannon Foundation, Inc. and the Charles A. Cannon Charitable Trust awarded FTCC over $400,000 to purchase trucks, equipment and supplies.
The transportation industry is experiencing an ongoing national truck driver shortage, with the American Trucking Association in August predicting a shortage of 115,000 drivers this year. FTCC’s current 10-week CDL program trains dozens of students each year with a 100-percent job placement rate; however, space and equipment limitations of the current training area on FTCC’s Fayetteville campus creates an enrollment waitlist that keeps students sidelined for as many as six months prior to enrollment.
Former Representative John Szoka and Chairman Kirk deViere of the Cumberland County Board of Commissioners, who was a member of the N.C. Senate when the project was funded, both offered remarks at the groundbreaking ceremony.
“Every single dime we ever voted for to come to FTCC has been put to great use, without a doubt,” Szoka said. “That didn’t start with me in the legislature. That started well before, with people bringing money to FTCC — not just because it’s our local community college and we love it, but because FTCC gets the job done.”
DeViere said the facility was the result of a “shared commitment” among the parties involved to prepare students for the workforce. “This state-of-the-art center will ensure that our students graduate, not just educated, but career ready and more importantly, job ready,” he said.