DCCC Truck Driving Program Moves to Davie Campus
MOCKSVILLE ó Davidson County Community College’s Truck Driver Training program is now offered exclusively on the Davie Campus of DCCC in Mocksville.
Students complete 384 hours of classroom and behind-the-wheel instruction, and both the part-time evening and weekend class and the full-time day classes are located on the Davie Campus.
With tuition and fees approximately $700, the affordability and opportunity for quick, stable job placements appeal to men and women of various ages from all walks of life.
Starting pay is approximately $40,000 annually, ranging to about $60,000 after a few years of experience, said Bob Paris, instructor and coordinator of the DCCC Truck Driving program.
The next full-time class will begin March 20. It will consist of eight weeks of training conducted Monday through Thursday, from 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., and Friday from 7 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The class is limited to 24 students.
The next part-time class will begin in the fall, with 16 weeks of training. Classroom instruction takes place on Tuesday, from 6 to 9:40 p.m. and driving instruction on Saturday, from 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and Sunday, from 7 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The part-time class is limited to 16 students.
“There is always going to be a need for truck drivers,” said Paris. “We usually get more requests for truck drivers than we have graduates, so students have a wide range of opportunities from which to choose.”
There is usually a 100 percent job placement rate for truck driving graduates, and recruiters visit DCCC students toward the end of their program to assist with job placement.
Some graduates purchase or lease their own 18-wheeler rigs while others become company drivers for long-haul or local trips. Many husband and wife teams train to drive together, and the last graduating class included a former Davie County public school teacher and her husband, a former school bus driver, according to Paris.
Trucking companies competing for drivers sometimes offer training perks such as signing bonuses or opportunities to purchase or lease new trucks if they want to start their own businesses.
Drivers who do not purchase or lease their own 18-wheeler rigs work for freight hauling businesses as company drivers. They can choose to take local trips and come home each evening, or they can drive long-haul, with runs that last anywhere from two days to two weeks.
For more information about enrolling in the DCCC truck driving class on the Davie Campus, call Shannon Puterbaugh, at 336.249.8186, ext. 6252 or email her at sbputerb@davidsonccc.edu