A dozen new truck drivers graduate from Isothermal
By: Mike Gavin
Published: May 22, 2025
SPINDALE (May 22, 2025) — Twelve new truck drivers will hit the road after graduating with commercial certifications and licenses at Isothermal Community College recently.
The graduates are Steven Stucker, Tivan Phillips, Dillon McCurry, Dillion Hall, Spencer Lake, Fredrick Burney, Lkarron Bell, Noah Lail, Devon Gousby, Joshua Marlow, Grace Burney, and Caden Reid.
“This is a great opportunity for students to learn a new career that offers great employment stability and significant income potential,” said Mark Franklin, director of Customized Training.
Thanks to ICC’s partnership with Appalachian Regional Commission who invested $500,000, The Charles A. Cannon Trust No. One who gave $326,000, and The Cannon Foundation who awarded $250,000, a new standalone professional truck driving program will start soon.
During the past decade, Isothermal has offered professional truck driver training in a partnership with Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute. Unfortunately, the scheduling on those courses was limited to the availability of Caldwell’s trucks and instructors. Sometimes that meant that courses may not have happened as frequently nor on the days and times needed.
“I’m grateful for the confidence our funding partners have shown in helping us expand the work we’ve been doing to support careers in the logistics and distribution industries,” said Isothermal’s president, Dr. Margaret Annunziata. “This funding allows us to build on our previous partnership with Caldwell Community College & Technical Institute to create more flexible on-ramps to family-supporting wages.”
The program will provide students with high quality CDL truck driving instruction, access to modern training equipment, and necessary support staff to ensure that students are well-prepared for high-paying and high-demand truck driving careers in western North Carolina and the Appalachian region.