Eleven students complete SCC Truck Driver Training Class at Yadkin Center

DOBSON — Surry Community College held a program completion event for the most recent truck driving class on May 16. Eleven students were recognized in front of a standing room only crowd at the event which was held at SCC’s Yadkin Center.

All eleven students in the class completed their driving test with a first attempt pass rate of 100 percent.

The graduates include Hayden Adams, Christian Flippen, Thomas Masters and Daniel Moore, all of Mount Airy; Michael Loera of Galax, Va.; Steven Miller of Harmony; Michael Hollis of Lewisville; Dean Taylor of Pilot Mountain; Anthony Burchette of State Road; Keon Rowe of Wilkesboro and Tierra Porter of Winston-Salem.

Surry Community College will be offering another section of Truck Driver Training beginning July 29, with a mandatory orientation class on July 2 at 10 a.m. at The Yadkin Center, 1001 College Dr., Yadkinville. To register for the orientation, visit surry.edu/truck-driving.

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.

With a shortage of up to 12,000 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 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. The tuition is $1,999.00. You may qualify for a tuition scholarship. To see if you are eligible, please visit www.surry.edu/funding.