[?] Subscribe To This Site

XML RSS
Add to Google
Add to My Yahoo!
Add to My MSN
Subscribe with Bloglines


Home
Becoming a Trucker
Trucking CDs
Do u Qualify for CDLs
CDL Training/Schools
Trucking Jobs
Home CDL Training
Company Drivers
Owner Operators
Felonies
Trucker Interviews
Disadvantages
Ask A Trucker
A Truckers Life
Words of Wisdom
How To Get Experience
New Driver Tips
Heatlhy Trucker
Comments
Good Food
Cafepress Shop
Truck Stop
The Economy
Advice For You
Trucker Terms
Trucker Forums
Trucker's Wives
Impact on Family
Member Profiles
Used Trucks For Sale
Used Equipment
Best Companies
Women In Trucking
Relationships
Better Parenting
Truckers motivation
Crazy Trucker Stories
Trucking Blog
Show Trucks
Driver's Lounge
Truckers Spotlight
Truck Stop Store
Truckers Videos
Truck Wash
Inside A Big Rig
Trucking News
Guestbook
DAC Reports
The D.O.T.
Privacy Statement
Teen Real Talk
Weather Map
Job Listings
CSA 2010
Trucker Resources
CD/ DVD Distributors
The DVD

Truck Driving Schools

CDL Training

There are 3 main types of training for getting your CDL Class A's

Truck driving schools come in many flavors but 3 main types. You can attend training at many of the major trucking companies headquarters (commonly referred to as free training or company sponsored cdl training )or you can go to a stand alone truck driving school (often called,'Private Schools' or 3rd party training). Most community colleges offer training to learn how to drive to get your CDLs also.
Find your local truck driving schools easily.Just type your desired location plus the words truck driving schools or CDL training or a variation of it. Examples...Florida CDL Training, Truck Driving Schools in Pennsylvania, Charlotte Truck Driving Schools, CDL Training in GA

Free CDL A Training v.s. Private Training v.s. Community College

As with anything else in life the different ways to obtain your training all has it's own advantages and disadvantages. You will see some of them listed below. Along with the disadvantage I add some additional information for overcoming or dealing with what the disadvantage would be. (Which in some cases would make it not be a disadvantage but something that is most suitable for your situation since you will make a conscious decision being aware of what to expect.)

Pro's and Con's of Free or Company Sponsored CDL Training

Advantages of Free or Company Sponsored CDL Training (Pro's)

- It won't cost you out of pocket for the training
- You have a job most times after training

Disadvantages of Company Sponsored CDL Training (Con's)

- You will sign a contract to work for the company who sponsored/paid for the training for a specified amount of time, usually 1 year. If you break the contract you may own fines in addition to the tuition.
- If you don't like the company you feel obligated to stay until the terms of the contract is done. It may well be in your best interest to stay whether you want to or not. If you have a poor relationship with the dispatcher or company this obviously would be stressful. However most drivers don't mind staying and don't have a serious problem with the company or dispatchers at the company.(Yes you Will see/hear some horror stories out of hundreds of thousands of drivers)
- You may be promised a job but in today's economy some trucking companies are training drivers and letting having them wait to began working weeks or even months after training.
- Some trucking companies are not paying during training. Also there are different expenses such as meals, hotel, or travel during training that some companies are not paying now. Know what expenses will be covered, ask questions and see it in writing so you will KNOW what to expect.

Find Company Sponsored CDL Training

Pro's and Con's of Private Training for CDLs

Advantages of Private Truck Driving Schools (Pro's)

- Usually is the quickest way to obtain your CDLs
- You can go to any company that will hire you after graduation

Disadvantages of Private Truck Driving Schools (Con's)

- Since a company didn't sponsor you don't automatically have a job lined up after graduation. However, most school do offer job placement. Some times you can get a pre-hire agreement from a company before even going to school
- usually the most expensive way to get your CDL license
- Regulation of schools has some loopholes. Go to a reputable school. Making sure the school is Certified or Accredited should help assure you of quality of training.

Pro's and Con's of Going to Community College or Public School for CDL training

Advantages of CDL training at Community College/Public Schools (Pro's)

- This is usually the cheapest way to get your CDL
- You can go to any company that is will to hire you after school
- You can have good confidence that the program is ran well

Disadvantage of CDL training at Community College/Public Schools (con's)

- Usually takes longer than Private company to get CDL
- You will have to find a job after getting CDL. Most schools do have job placement. Some have relationships with recruiters.

My Truck Driving School Experience at Alliance Tractor Trailer Training

I attended one of the Alliance Tractor Trailer training centers in Dunn, North Carolina. It was a pretty good school in my opinion. I learned all I could in a class environment and most of the class passed the training course on time. (You had addition time to retrain and retest if you didn't pass the first time)

Most of the equipment at the time was in great shape (most...lol some was just in good shape, lol) and the instructors were knowledgeable enough to teach and at the same time personable enough not to be boring.

(I think I feel asleep only once!)

However remember this is just my opinion and I have absolutely nothing to compare them to. All I know is I learned a lot, I passed and got licensed, and they let me come in at the last minute so I really did appreciate that.

Oh yeah I remember them being real flexible at the time with the financing of the truck driving training. By the way I remember them being a little high


(I think my trucking school training was around $5,000 back then not sure it was like 1997)
In any case there are a so many ways to get certified now that there should be a training center of some type within a reasonable distance from you for a reasonable price. You will have to browse around to see what works best for you in your location and situation.


Type your town, city or state then truck driving schools or CDL Training to see if there is local CDL training near you.
Ex. "Truck Driver Schools in New Jersey" or"Florida CDL Training", "Charlotte Truck driving Schools"


Training at Home for Your CDL License/ CDL Home Study Courses



It is possible to study on your own to learn the information needed to pass the exam at your local DMV and then find someone to let you drive their truck to take the test.

You can also take online courses to prepare for your CDL A Test in fact you can take the Test Online in most states. Oviously this is not suitable for everyone, some people do better in a class environment with hands on learning. Most people also won't find someone with a personal tractor to let them practice and take the test on.

But if you do want to see the types of information you will need to get trained for your CDL at home visit General Knowledge CDL Training Videos

What truck driving school did you get your CDL training?

Drivers where did you get your CDLs and how do you rate the training program you attending on a scale of 1 to 10.

10 being the highest.

Based on what you learned, the equipment, the instructors ability to keep your attention in class and the quality of the information he or she delivered. How well did they prepare you for going over the road as a trucker.

Also if you don't mind how much did the training cost.

Tell us the name and location of the truck driving school

Tell the potential new drivers how good or bad the school was. [ ? ]

Upload 1-4 Pictures or Graphics (optional) [ ? ]

Add a Picture/Graphic Caption (optional) 

Click here to upload more images (optional)

Author Information (optional)

To receive credit as the author, enter your information below.

Your Name

(first or full name)

Your Location

(ex. City, State, Country)

Submit Your Contribution

Check box to agree to these submission guidelines.


(You can preview and edit on the next page)

What Other Visitors Have Said

Click below to see contributions from other visitors to this page...

atruckjob.com  starstarstarstarstar
this service was very professional and helped me get into a school that best suited my personal and family needs. I recommend this service!

Western Iowa Tech Community College in Sioux City Iowa  starstarstarstarstar
The instructors are very knowledgeable and personable. It's a five weeks long class. 8am-5pm Mon.-Sat. You spend one hour of class time, and seven hours ...

Carolina Trucking Academy Raleigh NC  starstarstarstarstar
Over all the school is awesome! The instructors are very knowledgeable and personable. The owner is loud and exuberant, but only looking out for your best ...

IITR Trucking School  starstarstarstarstar
I want to warn everyone that this post is going to be a long one, I will try to be as fair and objective as possible, but I refuse to sugar coat anything ...

SAGE Truck Driving School Was Excellent!  starstarstarstarstar
SAGE has schools across the country. I went to one in Pennsylvania. The one-student-per-truck policy was outstanding. You really get a lot of driving ...

Two recomended truck driving schools out west  starstarstarstarstar
Hey everyone, this is Jimmy and I will recommend two schools. One is Advance School of Driving in Fontana, Ca. I was an instructor there in 2004. They ...

Driver Solutions  starstarstar
I used Driver Solutions company-paid truck driving school to get my job with USA Truck. It was a good experience for me. Driver Solutions recommended ...

Alliance wytheville, Va.  starstarstar
It was a good school. I learned alot and the instructors are very helpful.

Mega Truck Driving School, Chicago, Illinois  Not rated yet
School was excellent, had flexible hours that fit my schedule, and has job placement assistance. They cannot guarantee you a job but they can help in the ...

ATRUCKJOB.COM  Not rated yet
SCHOOL WAS EXCELLENT AND I HAVE A GOOD JOB NOW!

arkansas northeastern college paragould   Not rated yet
the school was great the price was under a 1000 the teacher was great its 4 weeks i already had my permit when i started there so on the secound day there ...

skyway trucking school  Not rated yet
Very bad place to get a CDL. Trucks break down and own hates to fix them. We had a truck down for 3 weeks with only one truck for roads. Poor trainer are ...

Pennsylvania Institute of Aeronatics (P.I.A.)  Not rated yet
The school that I went to was in Dunbar, West Virginia. The main school is in Pennsylvania. This school was around 5,000 or so, but I think it was worth ...

Keystone Diesel Institute  Not rated yet
Overall it was a really good school,they hit really hard on what it takes to pass the cdl,ie. the backing and road part of the test.

The best thing ...


Truck Driving Schools Top
 Home Page
 Advantages of Becoming A Trucker


footer for cdl training page