TL;DR

Truck and Bus Driver/Commercial Vehicle Operator and Instructor maps to BLS occupations averaging about $64,987, with roughly 1,596,050 workers nationwide in those roles. About 21,399 degrees completed in recent IPEDS counts; median in-state published tuition is about $4,530.

Key Statistics

21,399
Total Degrees Awarded (2023)
$4,530
Median In-State Public Tuition
$14,262
Median Out-of-State Private Tuition
$64,987
Avg. Wage (related occupations)
1,596,050
Workers (related occupations)
54.9%
Median Graduation Rate (4-yr schools)
344
Bachelor's Completions (IPEDS 2023)

Truck and Bus Driver/Commercial Vehicle Operator and Instructor: what the data shows

Common questions about truck and bus driver/commercial vehicle operator and instructor degrees, answered from IPEDS, College Scorecard, BLS OEWS, and O*NET in this repository—not program marketing copy.

What is a truck and bus driver/commercial vehicle operator and instructor degree?

A Truck and Bus Driver/Commercial Vehicle Operator and Instructor program is classified under NCES CIP 49.0205.

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

IPEDS counted 21,399 completions for this CIP in the survey year in our extract.

Types of truck and bus driver/commercial vehicle operator and instructor degrees and related programs

Other NCES program codes in the 49.02 family with pages on EDsmart Data:

How long does it take to get a truck and bus driver/commercial vehicle operator and instructor degree?

Award levels reported to IPEDS for CIP 49.0205 in our file:

  • 344 Bachelor's (100.0% of IPEDS total)—typically four years

Time to completion depends on enrollment intensity and transfer credits; figures above describe credential type, not calendar time for every student.

What do you learn in truck and bus driver/commercial vehicle operator and instructor?

O*NET skill ratings for occupations mapped to this major emphasize Reading Comprehension, Active Listening, Speaking, Writing, Critical Thinking, Service Orientation, and related competencies. See the Skills section for the full list in our extract.

What degree do you need?

For Teachers, Postsecondary (top mapped occupation), O*NET incumbent surveys in our career profile report these education credentials most often: Some college (29%), High School or Equivalent (27%), Bachelors Degree (22%). Bachelor's awards account for a majority of IPEDS completions for CIP 49.0205, but occupation data show multiple pathways.

O*NET education distributions describe incumbent workers, not minimum legal or employer requirements.

What jobs can you get with a truck and bus driver/commercial vehicle operator and instructor degree?

Our degree→occupation mapping links Truck and Bus Driver/Commercial Vehicle Operator and Instructor to the BLS roles below. Employment is U.S. OEWS; median wage is national May 2024 where published in our extract.

OccupationU.S. employmentMedian annual wage
Teachers, Postsecondary1,500,000
Secondary School Teachers1,072,540$64,580

See Careers & Jobs for mean wages and industry context.

Is a truck and bus driver/commercial vehicle operator and instructor degree worth it?

Among schools reporting in our Scorecard extract, median published in-state tuition is $4,530 and median net price is $8,759.

We do not score "worth" on opinion—compare debt, earnings, wages for mapped occupations, and completion data above against your cost and career target.

Institutions

Information about the types of higher education institutions that grant degrees in Truck and Bus Driver/Commercial Vehicle Operator and Instructor and the types of students that study this field.

Tuition Costs for Common Institutions

$4,530 Median In-State Public

$14,262 Median Out of State Private

Tuition costs for Truck and Bus Driver/Commercial Vehicle Operator and Instructor majors are, on average, $4,530 for in-state public colleges, and $14,262 for out of state private colleges.

Tuition costs comparison for Truck and Bus Driver/Commercial Vehicle Operator and Instructor programs.

Degrees Awarded Over Time

21,399 Total Degrees Awarded in 2023

This chart shows the number of degrees awarded in Truck and Bus Driver/Commercial Vehicle Operator and Instructor from 2015 to 2023.

Historical trend of degrees awarded in Truck and Bus Driver/Commercial Vehicle Operator and Instructor.

Top 5 Schools by Enrollment

# School State Enrollment
1 Ivy Tech Community College IN 58,267
2 Ivy Tech Community College IN 58,267
3 College of Southern Nevada NV 27,252
4 Palm Beach State College FL 21,956
5 Utah State University UT 20,272

Schools with the largest enrollment offering Truck and Bus Driver/Commercial Vehicle Operator and Instructor programs.

Top 5 Most Affordable Tuition

# School State Tuition
1 San Diego City College CA $1,146
2 San Diego City College CA $1,146
3 Santiago Canyon College CA $1,164
4 Shasta College CA $1,197
5 Los Angeles Trade Technical College CA $1,238

Schools with the lowest tuition costs for Truck and Bus Driver/Commercial Vehicle Operator and Instructor programs.

Top 5 Lowest Net Price

Schools with the lowest average net price for Truck and Bus Driver/Commercial Vehicle Operator and Instructor programs.

Graduation Rates

54.88% Median Graduation Rate (150% of normal time)

54.67% Average Graduation Rate

228 Institutions Reporting

40.00% - 68.84% Interquartile Range

Graduation/completion rates for Truck and Bus Driver/Commercial Vehicle Operator and Instructor programs across institutions.

Related specializations

Other NCES program codes in the 49.02 CIP family with dedicated pages on EDsmart Data.

Degree Levels (IPEDS)

Completions reported to IPEDS for CIP 49.0205 in the survey year used in our extract (344 total across levels below).

  • 344 Bachelor's (100.0% of IPEDS total)

Source: IPEDS Completions (c2024_a), summed by award level for this CIP.

Careers & Jobs

Occupations linked to this major in our degree→career mapping, with wages and employment from processed BLS career profiles in this repo.

Across these BLS occupations, employment-weighted mean pay is about $64,987. Figures are national OEWS estimates for the occupation—not earnings of Truck and Bus Driver/Commercial Vehicle Operator and Instructor graduates alone.

Related occupations (BLS OEWS)

Occupation Mean annual wage U.S. employment
Teachers, Postsecondary$36,5111,500,000
Secondary School Teachers$104,8131,072,540

Open each occupation for full career profile charts and industry breakdowns on EDsmart Data.

Employment

Wages and industry mix below use BLS OEWS data for occupations linked to this major in our mapping—not a graduate earnings survey.

Yearly Income for Common Jobs

$40,621 Average Wage in Workforce

The average salary for Truck and Bus Driver/Commercial Vehicle Operator and Instructor majors is $40,621.

Average annual salaries of the most common occupations for Truck and Bus Driver/Commercial Vehicle Operator and Instructor majors.

Occupations by Share

1,596,050 2023 Workforce

The number of Truck and Bus Driver/Commercial Vehicle Operator and Instructor graduates in the workforce has been growing.

Various jobs filled by those with a major in Truck and Bus Driver/Commercial Vehicle Operator and Instructor by share of the total number of graduates.

Diversity

Demographic information for those who earn a degree in Truck and Bus Driver/Commercial Vehicle Operator and Instructor in the United States.

Workforce Age

N/A Average Age in 2023

This chart shows distribution of ages for employees with a degree in Truck and Bus Driver/Commercial Vehicle Operator and Instructor.

Age distribution for Truck and Bus Driver/Commercial Vehicle Operator and Instructor degree holders in the workforce.

Gender Distribution

21,399 Total Degrees Awarded

18,534 Male (86.61%)

2,865 Female (13.39%)

Gender distribution of Truck and Bus Driver/Commercial Vehicle Operator and Instructor degree recipients.

Race and Ethnicity Distribution

8,269 White (38.64%)

7,690 Black or African American (35.94%)

3,521 Hispanic or Latino (16.45%)

460 Two or More Races (2.15%)

356 American Indian/Alaska Native (1.66%)

Racial and ethnic distribution of Truck and Bus Driver/Commercial Vehicle Operator and Instructor degree recipients.

Degrees Awarded

The most common degree types awarded to students graduating in Truck and Bus Driver/Commercial Vehicle Operator and Instructor are Bachelors Degree, Masters Degree, and Associates Degree.

Distribution of degree types awarded in Truck and Bus Driver/Commercial Vehicle Operator and Instructor.

Skills

Data on the critical and distinctive skills necessary for those working in the Truck and Bus Driver/Commercial Vehicle Operator and Instructor field from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Required Skills

Truck and Bus Driver/Commercial Vehicle Operator and Instructor majors need many skills, but most especially Critical Thinking, Active Listening, and Reading Comprehension.

Rating of how necessary various skills are for Truck and Bus Driver/Commercial Vehicle Operator and Instructor majors.

Skills Bar Chart

This bar chart shows the same information as the radar chart, displaying the importance of each skill.

Skill importance ratings for Truck and Bus Driver/Commercial Vehicle Operator and Instructor majors.

About

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

In 2023, 21,399 degrees were awarded across all undergraduate and graduate programs in Truck and Bus Driver/Commercial Vehicle Operator and Instructor.

CIP Code

49.0205 - Truck and Bus Driver/Commercial Vehicle Operator and Instructor

What the data shows

Men earned 13.4% of 21,399 Truck and Bus Driver/Commercial Vehicle Operator and Instructor completions in the IPEDS file used here.

Mapped BLS occupations show employment-weighted mean pay of about $64,987. The largest mapped role by headcount is Teachers, Postsecondary (1,500,000 U.S. jobs in OEWS).

Published tuition medians in College Scorecard land at $4,530 in-state at public colleges and $14,262 at private institutions for programs in this field.

Data Sources

This page uses data from the following sources:

  • College Scorecard - U.S. Department of Education
    • Institutional characteristics, costs, completion rates, and earnings data
    • Data years: 2015-2024
    • Source: collegescorecard.ed.gov
  • Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)
    • Employment and wage data by occupation
    • Latest data: May 2024
    • Source: bls.gov/oes
  • O*NET Online - U.S. Department of Labor
    • Occupational skills, knowledge, abilities, and work activities
    • Database version: 28.0 (August 2023)
    • Source: onetcenter.org
  • IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) - National Center for Education Statistics
    • Institutional data, completions, enrollment, and financial aid
    • Data years: 2015-2024
    • Source: nces.ed.gov/ipeds
  • Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS)
    • Demographic and workforce data
    • Latest data: 2023 ACS 5-Year Estimates
    • Source: census.gov/acs

Data Processing: All data has been processed, cleaned, and aggregated for presentation. Where specific data points are unavailable, estimates are based on available data and clearly marked.

Last Updated: Data reflects the most recent available information as of January 2025.

Methodology

Data for this profile is sourced from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard dataset, IPEDS completion data, and Bureau of Labor Statistics employment data.

All financial figures are adjusted for inflation and represent the most recent available data. Employment and wage data are from the most recent Census Bureau ACS PUMS estimates.