The Blue Ridge Community College Truck Driving Range is a new workforce training facility designed by Work Program Architects (WPA), in collaboration with civil engineering firm VHB, to support one of the college’s most in-demand programs. Situated near Interstate 81corridor — one of the busiest freight routes through Appalachia — the building will support a profession crucial to the region’s economy.
The 6-acre paved range and its 800-square-foot support building are located on the rural edge of the BRCC campus near Weyers Cave, Virginia, providing an on-campus home for the commercial truck driver training program, which previously operated off-site. Commissioned through the Virginia Community College System, the project consolidates critical Commercial Drivers License (CDL) testing and training functions into a permanent, purpose-built setting.
Sited on what was once an open grass field, the new range connects to the broader campus via an internal road system, establishing a defined presence for the CDL program. The site includes striped driving lanes, sidewalks, curbs, and circulation routes that support training exercises and certification testing. A small support building anchors the range at one corner, offering instructors and students an indoor space for meetings, office work, and shelter from the weather.
Though modest in size, the support building was designed as a lasting piece of campus infrastructure. A butterfly roof form with a deep center gutter gives the structure visual presence and articulates the roofline, while a custom steel canopy signals entry and provides shade and rain protection. Material choices, including tan brick, a silver standing seam roof, and a custom dark green storefront system, were selected to align with BRCC’s campus language while offering contrast from blue accents found elsewhere.
Inside, durable finishes support cleanability and long-term wear, key for a program that operates in rough, high-traffic conditions. The building includes a small common room, a single-user restroom, and an instructor office with direct views over the range.
By integrating a high-performing training program directly into the life of the campus, the BRCC Truck Driving Range expands the college’s workforce offerings while asserting the architectural dignity of even its smallest, most utilitarian structures.
