Pennsylvania-based PGT Trucking opened a new training facility in the state last month, which the company told Transport Dive has allowed it to nearly double the number of trainees accommodated by its prior facility.
The carrier launched a new truck driver training center less than a mile from its Blairsville Terminal. The new facility provides more space for additional training classrooms and brings all the training elements under one roof, according to the company.
"With the growth of our organization, we needed a larger facility where we could develop our driver training programs," PGT Trucking Director of Training Chris Cousins said in a news release. "The demand for skilled and qualified truck drivers has never been higher, and our new driver class sizes have been growing week over week.”
The facility on the New Village Institute campus provides education to incoming drivers along with hands-on training for maneuvering techniques, driving strategies, securement standards and safety protocols, the company said.
“Our incoming class sizes have almost doubled from where we were in the prior facility,” the company told Transport Dive in an email.
The previous training facility was part of the Blairsville Terminal, located about an hour east of Pittsburgh. The company will keep the building as a driver terminal and base for its operations team and maintenance staff.
The carrier, headquartered in western Pennsylvania, provides flatbed, dedicated, international and specialized services and operates over 1,000 power units and 1,500 trailers.
