EDITORIAL

Considering all the potential bottlenecks that can hinder smooth and efficient port operations, the last thing that should constrain operations at the Port of Hampton Roads is the inability of workers there to move needed equipment within and between port facilities because they lack the proper training and certification.

With that in mind, the ports recently teamed up with Tidewater Community College’s Center for Workforce Solutions in North Suffolk to make sure that training and certification issues do not hinder the work that is so vital to the area’s — and the commonwealth’s — economy.

A group of six port employees was selected for the first accelerated commercial driver’s license training offered by TCC. The special program was designed to get the employees in a position where they would be able to operate any of the equipment and drive any of the trucks they might encounter in one of the Port of Virginia’s facilities.

All six students passed their CDL exams in April, and all are now Class A-licensed commercial drivers. The licenses will allow them to operate vehicles on-site, including vehicles weighing or towing over 26,001 pounds and vehicles carrying hazardous materials.

This kind of partnership is exactly the kind of thing community colleges should be known for around Virginia, and it’s exactly the sort of solution state agencies like the Virginia Port Authority should seek for problems that interfere with their efficiency.