Commercial Truck Driving major
Commercial Truck Driving: courses, careers, and where to study
Commercial Truck Driving prepares you to operate tractor-trailers and other commercial vehicles safely, handling pre-trip inspections, cargo, and the rules of interstate hauling.
Commercial Truck Driving programs put you behind the wheel of Class A combination vehicles, teaching the skills the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration ties to a commercial driver's license. You practice coupling and uncoupling a tractor and trailer, backing into docks with offset and parallel maneuvers, shifting manual and automated transmissions, and managing air brakes. Classroom and yard work cover the mandated pre-trip and post-trip inspection routine, securing and weighing cargo within axle limits, reading bills of lading, and logging hours of service under electronic logging device rules. Instruction also addresses defensive driving in heavy traffic, mountain grades, and winter weather. This is operating a vehicle on public roads, which is different from a diesel program that repairs the engine or a heavy-equipment course that runs earthmovers on a job site.
Most drivers begin by enrolling in an Entry-Level Driver Training provider listed on the FMCSA Training Provider Registry, then pass the CDL knowledge and skills tests at their state motor vehicle agency. Endorsements such as tanker, doubles and triples, and hazardous materials require extra testing, and the HazMat endorsement adds a federal background check. A Department of Transportation medical exam and a clean motor vehicle record matter to carriers, and drivers must be old enough for interstate routes. New drivers often start in over-the-road or regional fleets before moving toward dedicated lanes, local delivery, or owner-operator work. Pay, home time, and demand vary widely by carrier, freight type, and region, so a program is preparation for the license and the road, not a promise of any particular job.
In federal data for the closely related occupation of heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports a 2024 median wage of $57,440 and projects employment to grow about 4.0% from 2024 to 2034; a postsecondary nondegree award is the typical entry-level education for that occupation. National figures are occupation-wide medians across all experience levels, not starting wages or graduate outcomes.
Academic classification (CIP)
In the federal Classification of Instructional Programs, Commercial Truck Driving maps to CIP 49.0205, Truck and Bus Driver/Commercial Vehicle Operator and Instructor, within the TRANSPORTATION AND MATERIALS MOVING family. The official definition:
A program that prepares individuals to apply technical knowledge and skills to drive trucks and buses, delivery vehicles, for-hire vehicles and other commercial vehicles, or to instruct commerical vehicle operators. Includes instruction in operating gas, diesel, or electrically-powered vehicles; loading and unloading cargo or passengers; reporting delays or accidents on the road; verifying load against shipping papers; arranging transportation for personnel; and keeping records of receipts and fares.
Source: U.S. Department of Education (NCES), Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) 2020. View on nces.ed.gov
What credential Commercial Truck Driving is awarded as
Of the 9,919 Commercial Truck Driving credentials U.S. colleges reported conferring in 2023-24:
- Certificate100%9,919
This mix is fairly consistent nationally: across the 27 states reporting it, the certificate share moves by about 0 percentage points between the 10th and 90th percentile state, so the credential is more a property of the field than of where you study it. See the full study.
Credentials conferred in 2023-24, U.S. Department of Education IPEDS completions. A certificate is a different credential from a degree, not a lesser one, and this counts what was awarded rather than what a college currently offers.
What you'll study
- Performing the federally required pre-trip, en-route, and post-trip inspections on a tractor-trailer
- Coupling and uncoupling trailers, plus straight-line, offset, and alley-dock backing maneuvers
- Operating manual and automated manual transmissions and managing air brake systems
- Securing, distributing, and weighing cargo to stay within legal axle and gross weight limits
- Logging duty status and hours of service using electronic logging devices under FMCSA rules
- Reading bills of lading, trip sheets, and route plans, and documenting delays or incidents
- Defensive driving for blind spots, grades, curves, and adverse weather conditions
- Preparing for CDL knowledge and skills tests and optional tanker, doubles, and HazMat endorsements
- Understanding DOT medical requirements, vehicle weight stations, and roadside inspection procedures
Typical careers
- Tractor-trailer truck driver
- Over-the-road (long-haul) driver
- Regional or dedicated route driver
- Local delivery driver
- Tanker or hazardous materials driver
- Owner-operator
Typical salary range: Early-career wages vary by employer, region, and experience (BLS, 2024 heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers median $57,440).Ranges are early-career estimates. Any BLS figure shown is the occupation-wide median across all experience levels, not a starting wage, and is informational only.
Related occupations
Occupations the federal CIP–SOC crosswalk associates with Commercial Truck Driving, with what each one pays and how many openings it is projected to average each year. Ordered by projected annual openings, largest first. Linked titles open the full CampusPin career page.
| Occupation | Median pay | Openings / yr | Projected change | Most entrants hold |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers | $57,440 | 237,600 | +4% | Postsecondary nondegree award |
| Light Truck Drivers | $44,140 | 120,200 | +7.3% | High school diploma or equivalent |
| Bus Drivers, School | $47,040 | 61,000 | +0.2% | High school diploma or equivalent |
| Shuttle Drivers and Chauffeurs | $36,670 | 36,300 | +6.7% | No formal educational credential |
| Bus Drivers, Transit and Intercity | $57,440 | 20,900 | +4.3% | High school diploma or equivalent |
| Career/Technical Education Teachers, Postsecondary | $61,490 | 8,800 | +0.7% | Bachelor's degree |
Crosswalk: U.S. Department of Education (NCES), CIP 2020 to SOC 2018. Pay, openings and projections: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (2024 wages, Employment Projections). 6 of these 6 occupations report a median wage.
“Most entrants hold” is what BLS observes about people already working in the occupation. It is not a legal requirement, not an admission rule, and not a guarantee of entry. Studying Commercial Truck Driving does not guarantee any specific occupation, and many of these roles are entered from several different fields. Projected openings are a projection, not jobs promised.
Before you commit to a Commercial Truck Driving major
CampusPin does not rank programs. Use these prompts to pressure-test whether a specific Commercial Truck Driving program fits your goals, they are decision questions, not claims about any school.
Ask the Commercial Truck Driving department
- Which concentrations or specializations are offered, and which faculty lead them?
- What does the typical course sequence look like, and how much is required vs. elective?
- What labs, studios, clinical placements, or research opportunities are available to undergraduates?
- Is there a capstone, thesis, internship, or co-op requirement?
Ask current students & check the curriculum
- How heavy is the workload, and how accessible is the faculty?
- What internships or co-ops did you do, and where do recent graduates end up?
- Does the required curriculum actually match the careers listed above?
- How easy is it to add a minor, double major, or switch tracks later?
Find a Commercial Truck Driving program
CampusPin lists U.S. universities and community colleges by state, tuition, school size, acceptance rate, and campus setting, no account required.
Colleges that awarded the most Commercial Truck Driving credentials
Largest by credentials conferred in 2023-24. This measures the size of the graduating class, not quality, and it is not a ranking.
- All-State Career SchoolPA · 350
- Wayne County Community College DistrictMI · 234
- Wiregrass Georgia Technical CollegeGA · 213
- South Georgia Technical CollegeGA · 189
- Ivy Tech Community CollegeIN · 188
- Southern Regional Technical CollegeGA · 187
- West Georgia Technical CollegeGA · 184
- Bishop State Community CollegeAL · 179
- Bevill State Community CollegeAL · 178
- Advanced Technology InstituteVA · 162
- Oconee Fall Line Technical CollegeGA · 160
- Crowder CollegeMO · 154
Based on credentials this institution reported conferring in the federal IPEDS completions collection for 2023-24. It confirms the field was awarded that year, not that the program currently accepts students, and it covers only the fields CampusPin tracks. Confirm current offerings with the institution.
Where Commercial Truck Driving credentials were awarded
8 states have a distinct enough set of Commercial Truck Driving colleges to be worth its own page.
Search Commercial Truck Driving schools by state
- Commercial Truck Driving in California
- Commercial Truck Driving in Florida
- Commercial Truck Driving in Georgia
- Commercial Truck Driving in Illinois
- Commercial Truck Driving in Maryland
- Commercial Truck Driving in Massachusetts
- Commercial Truck Driving in New York
- Commercial Truck Driving in North Carolina
- Commercial Truck Driving in Pennsylvania
- Commercial Truck Driving in Texas
Related majors
Diesel Technology
Diesel Technology trains you to diagnose, service, and overhaul the diesel engines, fuel-injection systems, and powertrains in heavy trucks, buses, and off-road equipment.
Heavy Equipment Operation
Heavy Equipment Operation trains you to run and maintain earthmoving machines like dozers, excavators, motor graders, and scrapers to dig, grade, and shape construction sites.
Transportation Management
Transportation Management studies how transit networks, freight, and mobility systems are planned, financed, and run, blending transportation policy, logistics, and operations administration.
Supply Chain Management
Supply Chain Management studies how goods, information, and money move from suppliers to customers, suiting students who like logistics, data, and operations.
Aviation
Aviation trains students to fly and navigate fixed-wing aircraft, building the cockpit skills and federal certifications needed to work as professional pilots and flight crew.
Put this major in context
The salary above is an occupation-wide median from federal data, not a starting wage or a guarantee. These CampusPin guides and reports help you read it well, see where a Commercial Truck Driving degree can lead, and weigh it against cost and program quality.
Explore Transportation & Logistics careers
Median pay, job outlook, and the occupations this field covers.
Explore Education & Library careers
Median pay, job outlook, and the occupations this field covers.
How one major leads to many careers
Why a single Commercial Truck Driving degree can open more than one path, and how to read the occupations above.
Why a median wage is not a starting salary
How to read a BLS median, and why early-career pay usually sits below it.
When accreditation and licensure matter
How program accreditation and state licensure can shape a Commercial Truck Driving path before you enroll.
Does a pricier college pay off?
How college cost lines up with graduation and earnings, an association, not a ranking.
Does picking a major narrow your college list?
Across the federal completions data, most fields barely change which colleges are on the table. Which ones genuinely do.
Certificate or degree?
What credential a field is usually awarded as is mostly set by the field itself, not by the state, with a short list of exceptions.
How this guide is sourced
This is an editorial guide from the CampusPin Editorial Team. Career and wage figures are from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, occupation-wide medians across all experience levels, not starting wages, and link to each career page. Program availability comes from CampusPin's free institution search; CampusPin does not assert that any specific school offers this exact major until that program data is verified. Last reviewed 2026-06-15. How CampusPin sources data · Report a correction.