Washington -- U.S. Senator and Assistant Minority Leader Harry Reid and International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT) General President James Hoffa Jr. unveiled a new program today that will train commercial truck drivers at the Nevada Test Site (NTS) in a partnership between the IBT and the Department of Energy.

"Establishing a school at the Nevada Test Site to train commercial truck drivers will promote economic diversification and will benefit the community by providing career training for former test site workers, members of Teamsters local 631 and other individuals interested in earning a commercial driver's license," Senator Reid said.

As a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Senator Reid was instrumental in establishing the Nevada Test Site Development Corporation (NTSDC), which aims to attract new businesses to the facility 65 miles Northwest of Las Vegas. The $1.2 million dollar grant to establish the Nevada Test Site Truck Driver School was provided through the Department of Energy's Office of Worker and Community Transition, which funds retraining and other programs to assist former NTS workers and communities in Nevada.

"This is a partnership that benefits everyone involved. The local Teamsters who will provide the driver training, communities in the area who will gain economically and those in search of new career skills - especially displaced test site workers. There is a growing need, both at the test site and in the private sector, for licensed commercial truck drivers. Having properly trained operators behind the wheel is also important for highway safety, especially in instances where hazardous materials are involved," Senator Reid said.

The Nevada Test Site Truck Driver School will train operators for a commercial license which is required to operate any vehicle which carries more than 16 passengers, transports hazardous materials or with a gross weight of more than 26,000 pounds. Training is open to any interested individuals, regardless of union membership, with displaced former test site workers being given special consideration under the program.

Also joining Senator Reid and Mr. Hoffa for Thursday's news conference were Deputy Secretary of Energy T.J. Glauthier, Tim Carlson, President of the NTSDC and Tim Murphy, Secretary-Treasurer of Teamsters local 631 in Nevada. The ceremony marking the signing of the agreement between the NTSDC, IBT, DOE and Teamsters local 631 was held at the International Brotherhood of Teamsters headquarters in Washington, D.C. on Thursday morning.