Truck & Bus Driver/Instructor

Types of Degrees Truck & Bus Driver/Instructor Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many truck & bus driver/commercial vehicle operator & instructor graduations there were for each degree level during the last year for which data was available.

Education Level	Number of Grads
Basic Certificate	20,026
Undergraduate Certificate	145

What Truck & Bus Driver/Instructor Majors Need to Know

People with careers related to truck and bus driver/commercial vehicle operator and instructor were asked what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important for their jobs. They weighted these areas on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being the highest.

Knowledge Areas for Truck and Bus Driver/Commercial Vehicle Operator and Instructor Majors

This major prepares you for careers in which these knowledge areas are important:

• Transportation - Knowledge of principles and methods for moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road, including the relative costs and benefits.
• Customer and Personal Service - Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
• Public Safety and Security - Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.
• English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
• Mechanical - Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.

Skills for Truck and Bus Driver/Commercial Vehicle Operator and Instructor Majors

A major in truck and bus driver/commercial vehicle operator and instructor prepares you for careers in which the following skill-sets are crucial:

• Operation and Control - Controlling operations of equipment or systems.
• Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
• Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
• Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
• Operation Monitoring - Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.

Abilities for Truck and Bus Driver/Commercial Vehicle Operator and Instructor Majors

A major in truck and bus driver/commercial vehicle operator and instructor will prepare for your careers in which the following abilities are important:

• Far Vision - The ability to see details at a distance.
• Problem Sensitivity - The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.
• Near Vision - The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
• Control Precision - The ability to quickly and repeatedly adjust the controls of a machine or a vehicle to exact positions.
• Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.

What Can You Do With a Truck & Bus Driver/Instructor Major?

People with a truck and bus driver/commercial vehicle operator and instructor degree often go into the following careers:

Job Title	Job Growth Rate	Median Salary
Bus Drivers, School or Special Client	5.4%	$32,420
Bus Drivers, Transit and Intercity	9.0%	$42,080
Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers	5.8%	$43,680
Light Truck or Delivery Services Drivers	6.5%	$32,810

How Much Do Truck & Bus Driver/Instructor Majors Make?

Salaries According to BLS

Truck and Bus Driver/Commercial Vehicle Operator and Instructor majors often go into careers where salaries can range from $36,920 to $45,570 (25th to 75th percentile). This range includes all degree levels, so you may expect those with a more advanced degree to make more while those with less advanced degrees will typically make less.

To put that into context, according to BLS data from the first quarter of 2020, the typical high school graduate makes between $30,000 and $57,900 a year (25th through 75th percentile). The average person with a bachelor’s degree (any field) makes between $45,600 and $99,000. Advanced degree holders make the most with salaries between $55,600 and $125,400.

Amount of Education Required for Careers Related to Truck & Bus Driver/Instructor

Some degrees associated with truck and bus driver/commercial vehicle operator and instructor may require an advanced degree, while others may not even require a bachelor’s in the field. In general, the more advanced your degree the more career options will open up to you. However, there is significant time and money that needs to be invested into your education so weigh the pros and cons.

How much schooling do you really need to compete in today’s job market? People currently working in careers related to truck and bus driver/commercial vehicle operator and instructor have obtained the following education levels.

Education Level	Percentage of Workers
Less than a High School Diploma	15.0%
High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)	52.0%
Post-Secondary Certificate - awarded for training completed after high school (for example, in agriculture or natural resources, computer services, personal or culinary services, engineering technologies, healthcare, construction trades, mechanic and repair technologies, or precision production)	10.8%
Some College Courses	4.4%
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree)	8.2%
Bachelor’s Degree	4.2%
Master’s Degree	4.6%
Doctoral Degree	0.9%

Online Truck & Bus Driver/Instructor Programs

The following table lists the number of programs by degree level, along with how many schools offered online courses in the field.

Degree Level	Colleges Offering Programs	Colleges Offering Online Classes
Certificate (Less Than 1 Year)	0	0
Certificate (1-2 years)	9	0
Certificate (2-4 Years)	0	0
Associate’s Degree	0	0
Bachelor’s Degree	0	0
Post-Baccalaureate	0	0
Master’s Degree	0	0
Post-Master’s	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Research)	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice)	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Other)	0	0

Is a Degree in Truck & Bus Driver/Instructor Worth It?

The median salary for a truck and bus driver/commercial vehicle operator and instructor grad is $44,650 per year. This is based on the weighted average of the most common careers associated with the major.

This is 12% more than the average salary for an individual holding a high school degree. This adds up to a gain of about $95,000 after 20 years!

Trades Related to Truck & Bus Driver/Instructor

You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to truck and bus driver/commercial vehicle operator and instructor.

Major	Number of Grads
Construction/Heavy Equipment/Earthmoving Equipment Operation	1,070
Other Ground Transportation	137
Railroad & Railway Transportation	102

References

*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• College Scorecard
• National Center for Education Statistics
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• Usual Weekly Earnings of Wage and Salary Workers First Quarter 2020

More about our data sources and methodologies.