Coca-Cola Bottling Company United has donated two 16-bay, manual transmission diesel trucks to the Alabama Community College System. The donation, which is the first investment made by United to the college system, will be used in truck driving courses.
Truck driving is among the fastest growing programs in the ACCS. Alabama’s community colleges have more than 20 truck driving programs. Nearly 10,000 residents sought credentials within these programs in the last five years.
In addition to the truck driver programs, the ACCS also partners with local businesses and industry for free, customized CDL training through the ACCS Innovation Center’s Skills for Success. More than 1,100 residents, including some United drivers, have registered for CDL A training through Skills for Success, which got its start last year.
“The opportunity to pour into the future of Alabama in a way that helps meets the needs of our associates, customers and communities through the Alabama Community College System is indicative of the culture of Coca-Cola United, and we are blessed to be able to do so,” said Gianetta Jones, United senior vice president and chief people officer.
The trucks donated by United will be housed at Trenholm State and Southern Union State community colleges. Because the trucks have manual transmissions, residents who train on them for a CDL A won’t be restricted to only driving automatic vehicles.
According to the Alabama Trucking Association, trucking represents 125,000 jobs in Alabama. ATA estimates the average annual salary for a professional truck driver is $70,000.
Coca-Cola United was founded in 1902 and is headquartered in Birmingham. It is the second largest privately held Coca-Cola bottler in North America and the third largest bottler of Coca-Cola products in the U.S. It employs more than 10,000 associates in 50 facilities across six Southeastern states.
