Six Students Graduate from SCC’s Truck Driver Training Course

Six students recently graduated from Surry Community College’s most recent Truck Driver Training Course at the Yadkin Center.

The graduates include Joshua Thompson of Dobson, Bralyn Hampton of Boonville, Heidi Thomson of Pfafftown, Margaret Flanagan of Selma, and Landon Rockett and James Hardy, both of East Bend.

The next offering of Surry Community College’s Truck Driver Training Classes starts Monday, July 31, with an orientation session at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, July 12, at the Yadkin Center, 1001 College Drive, Yadkinville.

Median pay for truck drivers is $47,100 per year, according to the United States Department of Labor. Drivers with experience can make more than $50,000.

Industry experts say the trucking industry is the most reliable freight transportation method in the U.S, and with a shortage of up to 12,000 truck drivers in North Carolina and as many as 160,000 nationally, CDL-certified drivers will easily be able to find jobs. The U.S. Department of Labor says the profession is expected to keep growing by as much as 6 percent during 2020-2030.

The SCC Truck Driver Training Program teaches proper driving procedures, safe driver responsibility, commercial motor vehicle laws and regulations, and the basic principles and practices for operating commercial vehicles. The coursework includes motor vehicle laws and regulations, map reading, vehicle maintenance, safety procedures, daily logs, defensive driving, freight handling, security and fire protection.

Highway driving training exercises and classroom lectures are used to develop the students’ knowledge and skills. Graduates are qualified to take the Commercial Driver’s License Test and are employable by commercial trucking firms. They may also become owner-operators and work as private contract haulers.

Special admission requirements include official driving record, physical examination, reading placement test score of 40 or higher, disclosure form, high school transcript and drug testing.

For more information about SCC’s Truck Driver Training Program, contact the Yadkin Center at (336) 386-3580 or contact Dr. Douglas Underwood, Director of Yadkin Center/Director of Emergency Medical Programs at (336) 386-3584 or underwoodd@surry.edu. Tuition for the course is $1,999.00. You may qualify for a tuition scholarship. To apply for a scholarship, please visit www.surry.edu/funding.