MONTGOMERY, W.Va. — With a growing Commercial Driver’s License program, BridgeValley Community and Technical College is bringing in new, state-of-the-art technology which will safely prepare students for driving conditions they may actually face behind the wheel of a real big rig truck.
BridgeValley officials came together with community leaders, faculty and students on their Montgomery campus Monday to unveil and demonstrate the college’s new CDL driving simulators.
A $1.4 million congressional earmark secured by Senator Joe Manchin’s office, combined with matching state funds from Gov. Jim Justice’s office, provided BridgeValley CTC with three TranSim Truck Driving Simulators manufactured by L3 Harris.
BridgeValley President, Casey Sacks told MetroNews the simulators will offer a safe, controlled environment for the CDL-program students, as well as those in the Linemen program required to obtain their CDLs, and it will allow them to practice hands-on experimental learning with driving a semi-truck.
“Having the commercial driving simulators allows students to have a very authentic driving experience, but not put anybody’s life in danger, or wreck a real truck, as they’re learning how to drive something so big,” Sacks said.
She said it will also help students practice critical decision-making skills, enhance practical training, and improve driver assessments.
Sacks said the simulators have the ability to replicate real various kinds of terrains, road conditions, and atmospheric situations.
“It’s like playing a giant video game, it’s got bit screens that surround you so you can see out of every side, it feels like you’re sitting in an actual truck, the seats move just like you were sitting in a real 18-wheeler,” she said.
She said the machine also adds and subtracts points based on how well the user is navigating it.
Sacks said it will help the students not only obtain their CDLs in a safer way, but a more efficient one, as well, giving them many more hours behind the wheel.
“One of the things we’ve seen in our regular CDL program is that we can only have four students at a time in the class, and only one at a time can drive a truck, so the simulators gives students more opportunities to have that hands-on driving experience,” Sacks said.
Sacks said it should also make it easier for students to pass the exam to get their CDLs.