Ground Transportation at Hocking College

A debt load around $9,300 for a credential targeting commercial driving careers sits right between Ohio's typical $6,300 and the national average of $7,700 for ground transportation programs. The estimated first-year earnings of roughly $41,000—based on what other Ohio ground transportation programs report—would put Hocking's students in line with the state median for this field, though well below the $47,000 that top-performing programs like Hamrick School achieve.

The debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.23 means graduates would owe about three months' pay, a manageable starting point for someone entering the transportation industry. However, with nearly half of Hocking's students receiving Pell grants, even this moderate debt matters. Similar programs across Ohio show a range from $30,000 to $47,000 in first-year earnings, suggesting that outcomes depend significantly on factors like the specific trucking sector graduates enter and local employer relationships.

The central question is whether Hocking's program positions students toward the higher end of that earnings spectrum or closer to the middle. Without actual outcome data for this specific program, families should directly ask the school about job placement rates, which carriers hire their graduates, and whether students pursue CDL Class A credentials that typically command higher pay. At this debt level, the program works financially—but maximizing the return means understanding where graduates actually land.