HARRISON, Arkansas, May 26, 2026, 16:02 CDT
FedEx Freight gave two tractors and two 48-foot trailers to UA Northark. The Harrison, Arkansas, college says this is what it needs to bring back its commercial driver’s license training. The program had been paused for 18 months. A CDL is needed to drive big commercial trucks.
Timing is in focus as the college gets set to restart the course this fall, switching to a four-week intensive and offering several sessions each year. Out in this rural region, trucks aren’t a symbol—they’re the main equipment for the training.
The move comes right before FedEx Freight gets spun off from FedEx Corp. and starts trading on the New York Stock Exchange June 1 as FDXF. FedEx Freight is the top LTL carrier in the U.S., handling combined shipments for different customers in one truck instead of dedicating an entire trailer to a single company.
UA Northark Chancellor Rick Massengale said the equipment is aimed at boosting “hands-on learning.” FedEx Freight HR vice president Rodney Myers cited a “serious shortage of professional drivers.” Dr. Lewis Villines, vice chancellor for workforce and technical education, said the school is in talks with carriers on “industry expectations and rigor.” North Arkansas College
Harrison Chamber President and CEO Jeff Neilson called the donation a tool for local growth, tying trucking to “moving goods, supporting manufacturing, and creating new markets.” College and local officials said restarting the program should give a boost to training capacity and help keep skilled workers local. My 100.1
FedEx’s outlook is mixed. The company’s fiscal third-quarter revenue came in at $24.0 billion, with adjusted diluted earnings at $5.25 a share in March. FedEx said results at its Freight segment dropped after spin-off costs, softer shipments and higher wage rates.
FedEx CEO Raj Subramaniam said demand was steady, according to comments at the time. Reuters said the company lifted its full-year profit forecast after a strong holiday quarter. Evercore ISI analyst Jonathan Chappell told Reuters cost savings from the network revamp drove a “very surprising beat.” Reuters
FedEx Freight, when it splits off, will take on rivals like XPO, Saia and Old Dominion Freight Line head-to-head. The unit is looking at revenue of $8.7 billion and adjusted operating income of $1.1 billion for 2026, executives said. They added that costs tied to the separation and modernization will hit profits for now.
The risk is that adding training capacity won’t boost the labor pool or freight demand right away. The college needs to find students, tailor instruction to what carriers want, and get drivers into jobs while a lot of trucking execs still aren’t seeing freight come back strong.
FedEx Freight’s donation sorts out a key logjam. UA Northark has its trucks and trailers in service again, while FedEx Freight builds up a local driver pipeline just ahead of running its freight division independently.
