BECKLEY, WV (WVNS) — Students at New River Community and Technical College CDL program now have the open road at their fingertips.

Three new VS7 Simulators are on the college’s ACT campus in Ghent.

They offer students a way to get in high-tech drive practice and to prepare for the big rigs they’ll one day operate.

“We can put the students in a simulator and let them get a real feel of what the operation of a truck feels like, before we ever put them behind the wheel,” said CDL Instructor Ron Cantley on Friday, October 13, 2023. “And we’re so excited about this. We’re just so thankful to get these machines.”

College officials invite the public to drop by the Ghent campus on Odd Road this coming weekend and on Monday to see the simulators and to learn more about the CDL program.