Trends in the 21st century are having an impact on the way truck drivers are trained. Therefore, career schools need a superior school management and information system to prepare for issues that are emerging and for those yet to come. The future of the trucking industry remains bright in spite of challenges such as the COVID pandemic. There is and will continue to be a great need to deliver items that are ordered online as more and more people rely on online retailers to meet their needs.
Trucking employs about 7.65 million people in jobs related to the industry.* This includes nearly 3.4 million truck drivers. Of that number, more than 265,000 are women, while almost 1.4 million are minorities. While there are large and well-known trucking companies, trucking is actually a small business industry since more than 91% of companies own six or fewer trucks, and 97% have no more than 20.
There was a huge surge in the need for training in 2021. Many companies that had not been training in the past, quickly started programs. The demands on private postsecondary training companies increased as well. The truck driver shortage is one of the biggest issues the North American trucking industry faces today. Currently, there is a shortage of about 60,000 drivers in the United States and about 25,000 in Canada.
There are a number of ways that a person can train to become a truck driver. These include attending postsecondary community colleges, career colleges, private driving schools, or training at transportation companies. Truckers can begin their careers at age 21.
Training to become a truck driver typically requires a few weeks or longer. The training will include not only the rules of the road, but also how to operate and inspect your vehicle, how to plan and manage trips, and how to secure freight. The steps to becoming a driver are (1) passing your state’s regular driver’s license exam; (2) completing high school or earning a GED; (3) completing a professional training program; (4) earning your commercial driver’s license; and (5), meeting any additional requirements of a prospective employer.
The STARS School Management System includes student management software, features, and functions that are exclusively designed for truck driving schools. The STARS team specializes in helping large and small trucking companies train their drivers.****
The features STARS offers for trucking include customizable checklists for:
- Road/range and walkarounds
- Aggregating all data into easy-to-use scoring procedures
- The ability to post student records to the FMCSA
What’s more, all of the features above can be performed using electronic tablets for efficiency, accuracy, and speed.
Click here to learn more about how STARS can help Truck Driving Schools.
*STARS is an acronym for Student Tracking and Accounting Records System. This type of software is also referred to as a student management system, career college management system, student information management system, campus management software, school information management system, college management system, student record management system, campus management system, student information system software, online student management software, vocational school management system, etc.
