Some Vidalia High School students got a rare opportunity recently when the Georgia Department of Public Safety’s 18-wheeler simulator pulled up near the student parking lot.

Trooper Gillis oversees the operation of the simulator, and said, “We take this simulator around to the schools so that students can get a realistic experience in driving before they get behind the wheel of an actual vehicle. We also use it for training for bus drivers by taking it to bus barns at school districts around the state.”

The simulator falls under the direction of the Georgia Department of Public Safety, which is a multi-faceted state agency.

“We have three agencies that fall under the umbrella of the Department of Public Safety,” Trooper Gillis said, “and those are the Georgia State Patrol, the Motor Carrier Compliance Division, and the Capitol Police.”

Vidalia High School Resource Officer Cpl. Dwayne Carpenter of the Vidalia Police Department said there was a high demand for the simulator, and it had taken almost a year to coordinate with officials to have the truck at VHS. He acknowledged the assistance of the administration of Vidalia High School and gives special credit to faculty member Missy Owens for being instrumental in helping to bring the simulator to the students.