Truck driver training is being expanded in Illinois.
State officials recently announced $2.6 million in design and infrastructure improvements for Lincoln Land Community College’s truck driver training program.
These funds will create a new training site, support local economic development and provide stable career opportunities, a news release said.
“Truck drivers are a crucial lynchpin of the supply chains that power our economy,” Gov. JB Pritzker said. “This expansion at Lincoln Land Community College demonstrates how essential community college programs are to our workforce development, economic vitality, and the livelihoods of Illinois’ working families.”
Today, we’re expanding the Lincoln Land Community College truck driving program.
Our drivers are a crucial linchpin of the supply chains that power our economy.
We now take a step forward together in building that workforce and the future in Montgomery and Macoupin Counties. pic.twitter.com/7uHJqKpi7W
— Governor JB Pritzker (@GovPritzker) May 20, 2026
The truck driver training program at Lincoln Land Community College was established in 1998. Over 4,000 students have been enrolled in the driver training school. Of those students, 98.5% have graduated and obtained their commercial driver’s license, according to school officials.
Currently, there is a three-month waitlist for entry into the four- to six-week program taught by professionals with over-the-road driving experience.
“LLCC’s program is designed to prepare students to enter the workforce quickly while meeting the highest standards for safety and professionalism,” Dr. Charlotte Warren, president of Lincoln Land Community College, said.
The Illinois state attainment working group was also recently established to evaluate the state’s workforce and training needs.
Driver training has been a focus as federal agencies continue to overhaul certain trucking-related practices.
OOIDA, along with ATA, has asked Congress to prioritize investments that allow the FMCSA to modernize and expand the New Entrant Safety Assurance Program.
“Removing unsafe drivers from the road is only part of the solution,” the trucking groups wrote in a May letter. “Congress and regulators must do more to prevent unsafe motor carriers from joining the trucking industry in the first place.” LL
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