(WACO, Texas) – They are seen in an array of colors and carrying all kinds of cargo, from avocados to wind turbine blades. And, they blaze paths up and down interstates, across state lines and international borders.
According to the American Trucking Associations, commercial trucking in 2024 carried 72.7 percent of freight in the United States. The country had more than three million truck drivers who were employed in 2024, according to the association.
Information from the American Transportation Research Institute indicates more than 90 percent of trucking companies in the country have 10 or less trucks. The institute says one of every 14 jobs in Texas are tied to the trucking industry.
In February, Texas State Technical College’s Professional Driving Academy relaunched at the Waco campus to teach residents and students in the Electrical Lineworker and Management program how to safely operate a commercial vehicle. The goal is to produce people eager to join the trucking industry with a state Class A commercial driver’s license in hand.
“We are not just teaching how to pass the test,” said Steven Clark, a TSTC Professional Driving Academy instructor. “We want them to see what it’s like in the real-world.”
Each cohort lasts four weeks, with the first week involving virtual work and the remaining weeks consisting of intense hands-on training that includes on-the-road driving as far as West Texas. Before participants can drive the tractor-trailers, they must first get a commercial learner’s permit, Clark said.
Students in the Electrical Lineworker and Management program take three weeks of the driving course if they opt to learn through the Professional Driving Academy. Students receive their commercial driver’s license once they pass the driving test. Earning the license is not tied to graduation.
On a recent morning, students were learning skills to safely back up a tractor-trailer in a state-certified course painted on an on-campus parking lot.
“All you have are the two mirrors on the side,” Clark said.
Others were doing pre-trip inspections.
“They have to learn to drive the trailer, not the truck,” said Clark.
Shannon Welch Dubose, of Hewitt, already has a state Class B commercial driver’s license enabling her to drive school buses.
“My husband is a truck driver,” she said. “We have often thought about team driving.”
Welch Dubose said she has enjoyed the course and wished she learned the new skills earlier. She said reverse offset backing has been a challenge to learn.
“It’s just something you get the more you try,” Welch Dubose said. “The trailer can get away from you quickly.”
Gabriel Camacho, of Temple, said his employer allowed him to temporarily leave work for a month so he can take the course. He has experience driving forklifts, but said earning a commercial driver’s license is a goal he has had for years.
Camacho said it feels good knowing there is job security in having a commercial driver’s license, because the transportation of goods will always be needed.
Alex Orozco, of Corsicana, is a third-semester student in the Electrical Lineworker and Management program. He said he had no experience with heavy equipment before starting the driving program.
“Start early on getting your stuff to do this,” he said.
Orozco said earning the commercial driver’s license will help him when he pursues his chosen career field.
“Companies will definitely look for you,” he said.
Clark, along with instructor Heath Norden, have a combined 60 years in the truck driving industry. Clark is certified to administer the state commercial driver’s license test.
“You have to prove you are safe enough to be on the road with my family,” he said. “If they are not safe, they do not pass.”
The Professional Driving Academy’s future involves adding additional tractor-trailers, hiring more instructors, increasing participant capacity and eventually training on a new on-campus concrete pad.
For more information on TSTC’s Professional Driving Academy and locations, go to tstc.edu/workforce/professional-driving-academy/.