Friday morning, Albany Technical College held a special presentation at the Logistics Education Center to introduce a new semi-truck joining their fleet for their Transportation Academy.

Through a special partnership, with the United States Parcel Service, UPS, has agreed to donate the semi-truck to be used to train the next generation of CDL drivers at the college. Dr. Kuanita Murphy, the Chair of the ATC Board of Directors, spoke and expressed the college's appreciation for the donation.

“On behalf of the Board of Directors, we thank UPS for their generous donation. The donation will help ATC expand its CDL program. We are excited about this opportunity for our college and our students. We are also excited about the potential economic impact this program will have on the SWGA region, says Murphy.

In 2018, Albany Technical College implemented the Albany Tech Transportation Academy to address workforce shortages of CDL truck drivers and diesel technicians within the trucking industry.

ATC officials say for the first time ever this year all the CDL classes are full, and the program now has a waiting list. Officials say the donation of the semi-truck will help fulfill the growing high-demand course and bring Albany technical college closer to meeting the needs of industry demand for more trained drivers.