BLINN RECOGNIZES FOUR TRUCK DRIVING PROGRAM GRADUATES

  

Four Blinn College students recently earned their commercial driver’s licenses (CDLs) after successfully completing the College’s Professional Truck Driving Program.

Christopher Bass, Joaquin A. Fernandez, Troy Momijan, and Chris R. Sebesta dedicated 210 contact hours to prepare for immediate employment in an in-demand field.

Instructor Tim Loch said the COVID-19 pandemic has worsened an already existing driver shortage, but it has also created immediate job opportunities for students coming out of school.

Blinn’s Professional Truck Driving Program consists of two courses, with a new section beginning Monday, September 21^st.  Students learn to conduct pre-trip, on-the-road, and post-trip vehicle and equipment inspections.  Other skills include map reading, managing logbooks and cargo documentation, dispatch procedures, emergency responsibilities, and regulations of transportation agencies.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median salary of heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers is approximately $21.78 per hour, or $45,260 per year.

Truck driving courses run concurrently and are held 7 a.m.-5:30 p.m., Monday-Friday, at the new Agricultural and Workforce Education Complex at the RELLIS Campus.  The total cost of the program is $4,995.

To register for classes or view a schedule of upcoming classes, visit www.blinn.edu/workforce.