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Thinking career change? Check out trucking
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Special to the Couirer
Updated: Oct 15, 2010, 1:53 PM
Published: Oct 15, 2010, 1:55 PM
Savannah Technical College will host two information sessions at 2 p.m. and 6 p.m. Tuesday at the Liberty Campus for anyone interested in becoming a commercial truck driver. The campus is at 100 Technology Drive in Hinesville.
The session will include admission and financial aid information, entry testing and will give prospective students the opportunity to ask questions before the class begins Oct. 25. To begin the admission process, students need to bring a photo ID. There is a $20 application fee. The CDL program is covered by the HOPE grant for eligible students.
 “Students who enroll for this class session will complete the program before the end of the year,” said Tal Loos, dean of industrial technology. “Then, they will be ready to get started on a new career in 2011.”
Commercial truck driving began at the Liberty Campus last year. Students gain driving range experience at the old airport on Airport Road. To date, 34 students have completed the program, with many of them gaining immediate employment in their field.
“The transportation industry is currently experiencing a shortage of drivers, therefore the job market for drivers is strong and continues to grow stronger each month,” said Stephanie Stasolla, an instructor in the CDL program at the Effingham Campus.  
The college has a track record of placement with companies such as: Coastal Transport, Chemical South Tank Lines, CTL Distribution, Werner Enterprise, Schneider National, Roehl Transport, Swift Transportation and US Express among others.
For information about the commercial truck driving program at the Liberty Campus, call 912-408-3024.
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GPA grows trade, market share
Intermodal volume up 20 percent
port photo
Rubber tired gantry cranes handle cargo at the Chatham Intermodal Container Transfer Facility at the Port of Savannah. The Georgia Ports Authority's Mason Mega Rail project will double rail lift capacity to 1 million containers per year by 2020 - photo by Provided
Staff Report
Updated: Apr 17, 2018, 1:07 PM
Published: Apr 17, 2018, 1:08 PM

The Georgia Ports Authority achieved 14 percent growth in March container volumes, moving 355,208 20-foot equivalent unit (TEU) containers.

From July 2017 to March, TEU container trade grew by 9 percent, or 255,786 additional units for a total of 3.08 million, a new record for Savannah.

"Savannah's continued strength is a reflection of our customers' commitment, Georgia's leadership, and the many dedicated service providers, GPA employees and ILA members who come together every day to achieve great things," said GPA Executive Director Griff Lynch. "March marked our 17th consecutive month of business expansion thanks, in part, to a strong economy and growing market share."

Intermodal rail volumes jumped by 20 percent in March and 15.4 percent for the fiscal year to date, for a total of 318,454 containers handled over nine months – another record for the GPA.

"As the numbers show, our rail cargo is growing at a faster pace than our overall trade," GPA Chairman Jimmy Allgood said. "This is important because rail is playing a key role in our responsible growth strategy. We anticipate our rail infrastructure investments to take 250,000 trucks off the road each year by 2020."

The GPA recently broke ground on its Mason Mega Rail Terminal, on which the Port of Savannah will build 10,000-foot unit trains within its own footprint. From the expanded rail infrastructure at Garden City Terminal, Class I rail providers CSX and Norfolk Southern will provide direct rail service to major Southeast and Midwestern markets from Memphis to St. Louis, Chicago to Cincinnati.

An added benefit is that the Mason Mega Rail project will move all rail switching on terminal – improving vehicle traffic flow around the port.

In August, the GPA will open its Appalachian Regional Port in Murray County. Located in an industrial belt, including the production and export of carpet and flooring, automobiles and tires, the ARP will provide an alternative to all-truck transit to Northwest Georgia.

Each round-trip container moved via the Appalachian Regional Port will offset 710 truck miles on Georgia highways.

March was also a strong month for roll-on/roll-off auto and machinery units at the Port of Brunswick and Ocean Terminal in Savannah. Colonel's Island Terminal in Brunswick handled 66,144 cars, trucks and tractors, while Ocean Terminal added 4,050, for a total 70,194, a 17.2 percent increase.

"The global economy is thriving and our volumes are following suit," Lynch said. "As existing accounts grow their footprint in the expanding auto facility in Brunswick, Georgia's competitive logistical advantages are drawing additional business across all of our docks."

Lynch noted that for the fiscal year to date, Mayor's Point breakbulk terminal in Brunswick grew by 44 percent (34,515 tons) to reach 112,728 tons of forest products. At East River Terminal, bulk cargo expanded by 34 percent July-March (189,918 tons) for a total of 750,384 tons.

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