Twelve people recently graduated from Surry Community College’s Truck Driver Training Program at the Yadkin Center.
The graduates include Timothy Tuttle of Mount Airy; James Waddell of Elkin; Angela Potts, Michael Rankin, and Terry McCombs of Statesville; Bobby Sheets and Dameyune Widener of North Wilkesboro; Brandon Smoot of Boonville; Darren Spagnardi of Welcome; Dennis Lyalls of West Jefferson; James Deal of Walnut Cove; and Joseph France of Newport News, Virginia.
The next offering of Surry Community College’s Truck Driver Training Classes starts Wednesday, Aug. 4 and will run through Thursday, Oct. 7. Classes are held Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. A student orientation will be held Monday, July 12, at 10 a.m. at The Yadkin Center, 1001 College Drive, Yadkinville.
Median pay for truck drivers is $38,200 per year, college officials said, citing the United States Department of Labor statistics.
”Drivers with experience can make more than $50,000,” the college said. “With a shortage of up to 15,000 truck drivers in North Carolina and as many as 200,000 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 11% during 2012-2022.”
“There are currently job openings for truck drivers locally and nationally. We developed this program as a direct response to the requests from local truck driving representatives who need skilled applicants to fill job vacancies,” said SCC President Dr. David Shockley.
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.
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 Dr. Douglas Underwood at 336-386-3584 or underwoodd@surry.edu. The tuition is $1,876.00. Some students may qualify for a tuition scholarship. To check eligibility, visit www.surry.edu/funding.
Source: https://www.mtairynews.com