Ground Transportation at Tennessee College of Applied Technology-Crump

Is it worth borrowing for a credential when even the estimates don't fully capture what graduates actually earn? That's the core question here. Based on Tennessee's small handful of similar ground transportation programs, first-year earnings appear to hover around $39,000—which would make the estimated $9,300 in debt relatively manageable at a 0.24 debt-to-earnings ratio. But when you see actual outcomes from comparable Tennessee programs ranging from just over $30,000 to nearly $49,000, the uncertainty becomes real. The top performer earns graduates about 56% more than the bottom, and TCAT-Crump's small class sizes mean we simply don't know where they fall in that range.

What's working in this program's favor is the modest estimated debt load, which sits slightly above both state and national medians but won't trap graduates in long-term financial strain if earnings materialize near projections. The low Pell percentage suggests most students here aren't starting from vulnerable financial positions. Still, ground transportation careers can vary dramatically based on the specific sector—commercial trucking, transit operations, and logistics management offer different trajectories—and without actual graduate data, you're making a bet on outcomes that neighboring programs have achieved rather than what TCAT-Crump specifically delivers. Before committing, talk directly to the program about job placement rates and which employers actually hire their graduates, because those concrete connections matter more than statistical estimates ever could.