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Coquille board discusses buying a semi for in‑district CDL program; trustees say it could pay for itself
Summary
Superintendent presented a plan to expand a CDL program using two existing semi‑truck simulators and proposed purchasing a semi and trailer to offer in‑district commercial driver training, citing current per‑student contractor costs of about $5,500 and simulator investments of roughly $100,000 and $85,000.
The superintendent proposed expanding Coquille SD 8’s CTE offerings by launching an in‑district CDL driving program.
"The Coquille scribe board has made a huge financial investment into our semi truck simulators. We have 2 of those. I believe 1 of them was a 100,000 and I believe the other 1 was 85,000," Superintendent Gallagher said. He outlined a plan to purchase a semi this year and a trailer next year, use existing simulators in the short term, and work toward offering a CDL certificate locally.
Gallagher noted local students currently go to external providers that charge about $5,500 per student and said owning equipment and running an in‑district program could save money over time. "Having our own program, we have the simulators. We need a truck and a trailer ... I believe our CDL truck driving program, having it ourselves, would pay for itself in 5 years," he said.
The board discussed logistics including maintenance, depreciation for capital purchases and potential revenue or cost savings. Gallagher said the district has a shop and mechanic capacity to handle most maintenance and that the investment is a strategic one to expand workforce training for students who choose that career path.
