Cape’s Pilot Project for CDL Drivers, Work Shuttle Draws State Interest

CREST HAVEN – A pilot program that Cape May County began this summer to move seasonal workers in the southern part of the county to jobs on barrier islands will be observed by other transit directors in the state.
Daniel Mulraney, director of Fare Free Transportation in the county, was asked by the president of the New Jersey Council on Special Transportation to make a presentation of the project in Sept.
The program is two-pronged. It trains people to become the holder of a commercial driver’s license (CDL).  They can be hired by Fare Free Transportation or use the CDL to get jobs in private or public industry.
The need for CDL drivers is being felt throughout the state.
Then the drivers who are hired by the county will run those expanded routes during the summer to help workers with transportation concerns get to their jobs.
The program began this year to move workers from the mainland communities to Cape May and the Wildwoods.
“I have been so pleased with this project, and the job Dan (Mulraney) and his team have done so far,” stated Freeholder E. Marie Hayes, liaison to Fare Free Transportation, in a release. “This helps get people jobs and people to jobs. It’s a win-win.”
The presentation will consist of the entire project including the funding sources, obtaining a CDL instructor, paying for physicals, drug testing, fingerprints and obtaining a commercial driver’s license. The funding for Cape May County came from a mix of state and local dollars.
It was advertised in late winter in the Herald. As a result, seven individuals received their CDL on graduating.
“It is such an honor to be asked to make this presentation,” stated Mulraney. “I have already spoken with transit directors in the state who are eager to hear about our project because they want to bring it to their communities. We are happy to take the lead and help other communities follow our path.”