Mission Statement
The mission of the Commercial Truck Driving program is to prepare students to pass the Class A Commercial Truck Driving licensure exam through a combination of classroom instruction and range and street/road driving totaling 220 hours.
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Work Environment
Despite new technologies such as power steering, driving a truck is still a physically demanding job. Driving for many hours at a stretch, loading and unloading cargo, and making many deliveries can be tiring. Making the decision to work as a long-haul driver is a major lifestyle choice-drivers may be away from home for days or weeks at a time, and they often spend a great deal of time alone. Local truck drivers usually return home in the evening.
The U.S. Department of Transportation regulates work hours and other working conditions of truck drivers engaged in interstate commerce. A long-distance driver may drive for no more than 11 hours per day, and work a total of no more than 14 hours-including driving and non-driving duties. Between working periods, a driver must have at least 10 hours off duty. Drivers also cannot work more than 60 hours in a week without being off-duty for at least 34 hours straight. Drivers are required to document their time in a log, which shows working hours and mileage by day. Many drivers, particularly on long runs, work close to the maximum time permitted because they are usually compensated according to the number of miles they drive. Drivers on long runs face boredom, loneliness, and fatigue. Drivers often travel nights, holidays, and weekends.
Local truck drivers frequently work 50 or more hours a week. Drivers who handle food for chain grocery stores, produce markets, or bakeries typically work long hours-often late at night or early in the morning. Most drivers have regular routes, although some have different routes each day. Many local truck drivers-particularly driver/sales workers-do a considerable amount of lifting, carrying, and walking.
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Nature of the Work
Almost every product sold in the United States spends at least some time in a truck. While planes, trains, and ships are also used to transport goods, no other form of transportation has the same level of flexibility as a truck. As a result, trucks are used to transport everything from canned foods to automobiles. Truck drivers and driver/sales workers operate these vehicles. Drivers are responsible for picking up and delivering freight from one place to another. This may be from a manufacturer to a distribution center, from a distribution center to a customer, or between distribution centers. In addition, drivers may be responsible for loading and unloading their cargo. They are also responsible for following applicable laws, keeping logs of their activities, and making sure that their equipment is in good working condition.
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Employment
Truck drivers and driver/sales workers held about 3.2 million jobs nationally in 2008. Of these workers, 56 percent were heavy truck and tractor-trailer drivers; 31 percent were light or delivery services truck drivers; and 13 percent were driver/sales workers. Most truck drivers find employment in large metropolitan areas or along major interstate roadways where trucking, retail, and wholesale companies tend to have their distribution outlets. Some drivers work in rural areas, providing specialized services such as delivering newspapers to customers.
The truck transportation industry employed 27 percent of all truck drivers and driver/sales workers in the United States. Another 26 percent worked for companies engaged in wholesale or retail trade. The remaining truck drivers and driver/sales workers were distributed across many industries, including construction and manufacturing.
Around 8 percent of all truck drivers and driver/sales workers were self-employed. Of these, a significant number were owner-operators who either served a variety of businesses independently or leased their services and trucks to a trucking company. Overall employment of commercial truck drivers is expected to grow 9 percent nationally over the 2008-2018 decade. As the economy grows, the demand for goods will increase, which will lead to more job opportunities. Because it is such a large occupation, 291,900 new jobs will be created over the 2008-2018 period.
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Earnings
Median hourly wages nationally of heavy truck and tractor-trailer drivers were $17.92 in May 2008. The middle 50 percent earned between $14.21 and $22.56. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $11.63, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $27.07. Median hourly wages of light or delivery services truck drivers were $13.27 in May 2008. The middle 50 percent earned between $10.07 and $17.74. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $8.10, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $24.15.
Employers typically pay long-haul drivers by the mile, with bonus opportunities available for drivers who save the company money. Local truck drivers tend to be paid by the hour, with extra pay for working overtime. The per-mile rate can vary greatly from employer to employer and may even depend on the type of cargo being hauled.
Source: U.S. Department of Labor Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2010-2011 Edition (http://www.bls.gov/oco/)
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Student Learning Outcomes
Graduates of the technical certificate in Commercial Truck Driving will be able to complete the following tasks:
- Obtain load and trip information as required
- Perform a vehicle and load inspection for each trip
- Use resources effectively to plan a route and estimate expenses for any trip
- Drive a tractor trailer competently on all types of roads and deliver a load safely and efficiently
- Pass the written knowledge test
- Pass the driving skills test
- Demonstrate the personal and professional ethics and interpersonal skills that are expected in the workplace
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Essential Functions
The purpose of the essential functions list is to allow prospective students who are considering a career to be informed of the physical, emotional, and psychological demands related to training and employment in a field of study. These lists are provided to allow prospective students to make informed career choices by providing them with a summary of the physical abilities and personality traits that are generally required for the successful completion of a curriculum and result in employment in their field of study after graduation.
For students to be successful in the Commercial Truck Driving program, they must be able to perform the following essential functions:
- Ability to Use Senses
- Visual: Acuity to identify, read, and understand directions and gauges on equipment and other documents required in the operation of a commercial vehicle
- Hearing: Ability to hear sounds and warning signals which could lead to an emergency situation requiring some type of proactive or reactive response
- Smell: Ability to detect possible dangers involved in driving a commercial vehicle
- Tactile: Feel vibrations or some unusual shaking indicating that a possible danger exists in the operation of a commercial vehicle.
- Motor Ability
- Physical ability to drive for long distances and periods of time; to lift, move, and transfer cargo of at least 50 pounds; and to maneuver in limited space
- Ability to perform physical activities that require considerable use of arms and legs and moving your whole body, including climbing, lifting, balancing, walking, stooping, and handling of goods and materials
- Ability to manually load and unload cargo efficiently and safely while wearing essential safety equipment as necessary
- Ability to Understand Need for a Safe Work Environment
- Practical awareness of potential dangers in the driving of commercial vehicles and highway safety
- Ability to wear necessary safety gear, i.e. safety glasses, gloves, head covering, etc. as necessary
- Ability to maintain safe environment at all times, on and off the road
- Ability to drive defensively at all times
- Ability to Communicate
- Ability to communicate effectively in verbal and written forms to class partners and/or team and to instructor
- Ability to write and perform routine mathematical calculations clearly and correctly
- Basic proficiency in technology (computers and peripheral components) as industry requires
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- Ability to Problem Solve
- Intellectual and conceptual ability for measuring, calculating, reasoning, analyzing, and prioritizing daily functions in today's driving, shipping, and cargo handling environments
- Ability to work in a fast-paced environment without jeopardizing safety
- Ability to react and adjust as instructed by the instructor(s) during lab or shop instruction or in response to customer's needs
- Ability to Maintain Emotional Stability
- Ability to function safely under stress in today's workplace and adapt to changing laws, rules, and regulations governing highway and road safety and in consideration of interactions with people and situations
- Ability to maintain composure and professionalism at all times, including in the classroom, on the range, and in the commercial vehicle work environment.
- Ability to Perform Practical Outcomes
- Ability to function under the practical guidelines of federal and state regulation regarding the use of a commercial vehicle and federal and state laws governing road and highway safety
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Program Expenses
The Higher Education Act requires all colleges and universities to notify students and prospective students of all program costs for which they will be responsible. Students will be responsible for the following expenses each semester (unless otherwise noted):
- Tuition ($125 per credit hour)
- Registration fee ($39)
- Student activity fees ($30)
- Accident insurance fee ($6)
- Instructional fee ($50)
- Technology supply fee ($55)
- Department of Transportation Physical (Approximately $65)
- Learner Driving Permit ($35)
- Fuel Surcharge ($185)
- NIDA-5 Drug Screen (Approximately $50)
- Seven-year motor vehicle report ($8)
- Textbooks (Approximately $150 for entire program)
These expenses are based on costs in effect at the time this catalog was published. Prices are subject to change.
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Admission Requirements
Athens Technical College offers this program at its Elbert County Campus and Walton County Campus. Applicants to this program should contact the admissions staff at the Elbert County Campus or the Walton County campus to obtain an admissions application packet. The telephone number for the Elbert County Campus is (706) 213-2100 and the telephone number for the Walton County Campus is (770) 207-4080.
Applicants must be at least 18 years old, and they must submit the following information to the Student Affairs Office at the Elbert County Campus or the Walton County Campus:
- Completed and signed application for admission and a $20 nonrefundable application fee
- Completed and signed Acknowledgment of Understanding forms, which cover the age and DUI restrictions acknowledgments
- Valid COMPASS, ASSET, SAT, or ACT test scores (see COMPASS and ASSET Placement Tests)
- An official seven-year motor vehicle report
The Federal Motor Carriers Safety Administration (FMCSA) regulates commercial driver licensing and requires a Department of Transportation (DOT) physical and drug test prior to the issuance of a commercial driver's license (CDL) or learner permit. Students must have a learner permit to begin the on-road driving component of this program. Prior to enrolling in the first class, students must provide documentation of having passed a DOT physical examination within two years of the anticipated date of enrollment in the program and a NIDA 5 Drug Screen within 10 business days of the first day of class. FMCSA regulations also stipulate that students must complete random drug tests while enrolled in this program. Students are responsible for the cost of all drug screenings.
Applicants should note that the seven-year motor vehicle report must contain no more than eight current points, no more than five points in a previous single year, and no more than four moving violations on the Georgia Violator Scale. Applicants cannot have any DUI, open container, or controlled substance or drug violations within the past five years of the anticipated date of enrollment in the program. Program applicants must submit signed forms indicating that they understand the employment limitations associated with DUI, open container, or controlled substance or drug violations. Furthermore, applicants are responsible for the cost of the seven-year vehicle report.
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Licensure Requirements
Drivers who operate trucks with a gross vehicle weight of 26,001 pounds, or who operate a vehicle carrying hazardous materials or oversized loads, need a commercial driver's license (CDL). To qualify for a CDL, applicants must have clean driving records, pass written tests on rules and regulations, and demonstrate that they can operate commercial trucks safely. A national database permanently records all driving violations committed by those with a CDL, and issuing authorities reject applicants who have suspended or revoked licenses in other states. Although many states allow 18-year-olds to drive trucks within their borders, a driver must be at least 21 years of age to cross state lines or get special endorsements. Regulations also require drivers to pass a physical examination every 2 years. Physical qualifications include good hearing, at least 20/40 vision with glasses or corrective lenses, and a 70-degree field of vision in each eye. They must also be able to distinguish between colors on traffic lights. Drivers must also have normal use of arms and legs and normal blood pressure. People with epilepsy or diabetes controlled by insulin are not permitted to be interstate truck drivers.
Federal regulations require employers to test their drivers for alcohol and drug use as a condition of employment and require periodic random tests of the drivers while they are on duty. Drivers may not use any controlled substances, unless prescribed by a licensed physician. A driver must not have been convicted of a felony involving the use of a motor vehicle or a crime involving drugs, driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol, refusing to submit to an alcohol test required by a state or its implied consent laws or regulations, leaving the scene of a crime, or causing a fatality through negligent operation of a motor vehicle. All drivers must be able to read and speak English well enough to read road signs, prepare reports, and communicate with law enforcement officers and the public.
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