Kilgore College President Brenda Kays speaks during a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the college’s Transportation Institute. (Lucas Strough/Kilgore News Herald Photo)

KILGORE — Kilgore College has opened its new Transportation Institute, which aims to train the next generation of Texas commercial driver’s license holders.

“Today marks a significant step forward for our college and community in transportation education and in workforce development,” college President Brenda Kays said during a recent ribbon-cutting ceremony. “This facility underscores our commitment to equipping the next generation of transportation professionals with in-demand skills. It will be a learning, innovation and opportunity hub designed to meet the workforce needs of business and industry.”

The American Journal of Transportation recently released a finding that, by 2030, an expected shortage of 160,000 truck drivers in the U.S. will create problems for the industry and the economy.

The completed project consists of a large driving training track, multi-classroom facility and warehouse training building as part of a major expansion of the college’s CDL training program.

The new complex is at 4931 FM 349 in Kilgore — next to the Texas Department of Public Safety commercial driver’s license testing office.

D’Wayne Shaw, KC’s executive dean of professional and career education, said watching the college’s transportation program grow over the years was inspiring.

“This is just wild, to see this completion. From the time that this was a dirt field with overgrown grass and pump jack, to see it turn into this is just amazing,” he said.

He noted the college’s original transportation program was a much smaller operation, but leadership, hard work and investments transformed it.

“We used part-time instructors in that program in that time, and we struggled to try to get people into that program,” Shaw said. “To go from there to what you’re going to see today, with our instructors, three trucks, additional trailers, forklifts, the building, the classrooms and a drive track, this has been an amazing transformation.”

KC’s collaborative partnership with the Kilgore Economic Development Corp. help secure the land.

The college also worked closely with the city of Kilgore in the planning and layout of the project.

For information on the KC Transportation Institute, visit www.kilgore.edu/cdl.