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Truck Driving

Program Description

American business moves by truck, and the demand for reliable drivers is always high. Graduates of Scott Community College’s Truck Driving program are sought for employment by area and national trucking firms who visit or call the campus regularly to recruit.

In just six weeks, the program provides behind-the-wheel training involving rural, urban, highway and interstate driving. Defensive driving techniques and safe operations of the vehicle are thoroughly covered and students are prepared to take the state performance exams for a CDL A license.

Placement assistance is available to students completing the program.

The program includes:

Commercial drivers license requirements, truck maintenance/ inspections, defensive driving, safe operations, emergency maneuvers, trip planning, logging, freight billings, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations, rural, city, highway and interstate operations, and CDL testing by Scott state-certified examiners on site.

Description of the Profession

A truck driver is a professional who may drive for a company, but is basically in business for him or herself. He or she must be good at time and business management and be committed to safe and courteous driving in all kinds of weather.

Drivers must know how to navigate a route that may take them all the way across the United States, and they must know their vehicle inside and out. Truck drivers may find themselves on the road for two weeks at a time, making the preceding skills extremely important.

A local driver may be required to load and unload the trailer. Over-the-road drivers who haul palletized loads are not required to load or unload. Different loads make various demands of the driver.

Overall, a truck driving professional takes pride in his or her work and company, and consequently, may earn a great living with full benefits. After some experience, a driver may become an owner-operator.

Typical Duties

Vehicle Inspection (pre and post-trip)

Proper Driving Procedures

Keeping Log Books (For safety and legality)

Responsibility for Freight

Scott Community College was founded in 1966 and enrolls more than 4,500 students each fall. Its main campus is located on Belmont Road in Bettendorf.

The college has experienced a great deal of new construction in recent years with addition of a Culinary Arts & Hospitality Management Center, a new science wing and expansion of its career technologies building.

It also includes the Urban Campus in downtown Davenport, West Davenport Center on Fairmount Street and the Blong Technology Center near Interstate 80 north of Davenport.

Eastern Iowa Community Colleges includes Clinton, Muscatine and Scott Community Colleges. Stretched along the banks of the Mississippi River, the district covers all of Clinton, Jackson, Muscatine and Scott Counties, as well as parts of Cedar and Louisa Counties.