The Truck Driving program at San Jacinto College provides students with the skills and knowledge they need to get started with a career on the road. Training is at the College's practice facility (range) and on the road, offering real-world conditions for students.
Trucks deliver 70% of all freight tonnage and 80% of U.S. communities receive their goods exclusively by truck. There are currently 3.5 million commercial drivers, averaging $50,000 annually. Over the next ten years, the American Trucking Association (ATA) projects a need for 96,178 new drivers per year due to industry growth, retirement, drivers not meeting current guidelines and drivers changing careers.
Students learn to drive standard/manual transmission semi-trucks while knowing how to operate in compliance with Department of Transportation laws. Students experience backing, turning, hooking and unhooking, and parallel parking using industry-standard trailers and tankers.
Dates & Times
- Stay tuned for upcoming dates.
Course Topics
- Driving standard/manual transmission semi-trucks
- Map reading
- Trip planning and logging
- DOT compliance
- Backing, turning, hooking/unhooking and parallel parking
Students who successfully complete the program will be allowed to test for their Texas CDL-A license.
- Be at least 18 years of age and pass a mandatory DOT drug test and DOT physical.
- Be in reasonably good physical condition and have no serious physical handicaps. Must not be under doctor’s care with work limitations hindering ability to do assigned class and skills work. (For guidelines, please read the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations & Noise Emission Requirements, Chapter III – Federal Highway Administration, Department of Transportation – Subpart E - Physical Qualifications and Examinations – 391.41).
- Applicants who were born outside the U. S. or who graduated from high school outside the U.S. must be able to provide adequate proof of competency in English or pass the English Proficiency Test administered by the Testing Center at the college. For appointments with the Testing Center call 281-998-6150 ext: 2025
- Must possess a valid Texas Drivers License.
- Must possess a valid Social Security number.
- May need original or certified copy of birth certificate.
- Must be legally able to travel throughout the state of Texas.
The median annual wage for heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers was $48,310 in May 2021. The median wage is the wage at which half the workers in an occupation earned more than that amount and half earned less. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $30,710, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $72,730. (BLS)
Employment of heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers is projected to grow 6 percent from 2020 to 2030, about as fast as the average for all occupations. About 231,100 openings for heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers are projected each year, on average, over the decade. (BLS)
Contact Us
Gary Pile
Transportation Center Manager
281-476-1505
gary.pile@sjcd.edu
Taylor Herbert
Sr. Administrative Assistant
(281) 478-3698 (Press #1)
taylor.herbert@sjcd.edu