SWCC’s new Transportation Training Center

During late-2023, the college was awarded a CDL Infrastructure Grant through the Iowa Workforce Development in the amount of $665,000 to be used for building, purchasing, or remodeling CDL training infrastructure.

As part of the college’s ongoing master facilities planning process, options were explored and following an April 2024 board approval a 1,860 square foot addition was constructed on the south side of the Agricultural Sciences Center at the SWCC ag site, north of the Creston campus. The majority of the construction took place during summer and fall 2024.

Today, the facility is near completion and beginning in early-2025, SWCC Business & Community Development will offer CDL training on the SWCC Creston campus. This program is intended for individuals who want to obtain their Class A or B Commercial Driver’s Licenses (CDLs).

The program will include online instruction for the federally mandated Entry Level Driver Training (ELDT) theory, as well as hands-on training for DOT mandated Pre-Trip Inspection, Basic Skill Maneuvering, and Road Driving examination segments. This program is recommended for those who have some experience driving larger vehicles pulling trailers, including how to operate a manual transmission with air brakes.

Although CDL licenses are issued by individual states, the regulations surrounding them come from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), so the requirements are the same in every state.

CDL license requirements:

• The minimum age to obtain a CDL is 18 in every state.
• CDL holders younger than 21 may only drive within their state of residence.
• After turning 21, they may operate commercial vehicles in all other states.

For additional information regarding the CDL training program, please visit www.swcciowa.edu/cdl.