Truck Driving Schools

Trucking driving schools are a popular way of getting your CDL but it is not the only way. Whether it is the best way for you or not depends on your situation and personal needs.

3 Common Options For CDL Training

  • Community College CDL Training Course
  • Private Trucking School CDL or 3rd Party
  • Company Sponsored Trainging, also know as free
For more details on the types of CDL Training follow the links

1. You can attend training at many of the major trucking companies headquarters (commonly referred to as free training or company sponsored cdl training


2. You can go to a school that exists only to train truck drivers. This is most often referred to as a private trucking school or 3rd party training).


3. Or you can attend a community college to get training for obtaining your CDL. Community Colleges for CDL license


Free 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 trucking company who sponsored/paid for or provided 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. There are ugly stories associated with this. If you go this route do what you can to NOT BREAK the contract.

- 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 having them wait around (not at the trucking terminal) to began driving 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.(Updated 2011. This is changing, compare prices.)
- You can go to any company that is willing to hire you after successful completion of school.
- You can have confidence that the program is ran well if you go to a accredited community college. Some of them are also PTDI certified.

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

- Usually takes longer than Private company to get CDL (Update 2011, lucky you, this is changing too. Many community colleges now have dedicated instructors that teach truck driver training full time all day. You may find training in the same time as private schools now. Depends on the college.)
- You will have to find a job after getting CDL. Most schools do have job placement. Some have relationships with recruiters or better yet local companies needing truckers. You'll have to check and see what is the case with the community college your considering. (updated 2011. This is changing, many schools offer accelerated classes now, your wait may not be excessively long, don't assume, call and check)


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 entertaining enough to keep your attention.

(I think I fell asleep only once!)

However remember this is just my opinion on my experience. All I know is I learned a lot, I passed,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. (half cash and half finance) I remember them being average price and financing being high. (3rd party financing)


(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 a CDL 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"

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

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What Other Visitors Have Said

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

Safe Drivers Institute of America 
Safe Drivers Institute in Indianapolis Indiana uses the P.T.D.I. curriculum and also they use a one to one (driver to instructor) ratio while you are driving. …

Diesel Driving school Sun Prairie WI 
They did very well preparing for the CDL test. Some basic knowledge about DOT stops and weights,log book,loading,time management,trip planning, etc.Still …

Affordable CDL Training School Colchester Connecticut 
I thought they had a great program at a great price they worked with me a lot one on one. There class was limited to 5 students and they have 3 instructors. …

N.I.T. Palmer, Alaska 
Instructors can be lazy. Often observing you or even testing you (without your knowledge) from the break room window while sipping coffee. Mixed …

Mega Truck Driving School, Chicago, Illinois 
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 
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 
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 
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 
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! 
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 
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 …

Truck Driver Training Cost 
How much does truck driver training cost?

Keystone Diesel Institute 
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 …

skyway trucking school 
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 …

Driver Solutions 
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. 
It was a good school. I learned alot and the instructors are very helpful.

Roadmaster SLC Not rated yet
Pros: Good instructors and training. Cons: High price, not enough hours in driver's seat.

swift millington tn academy Not rated yet
The range(backing skills only) and classroom lasted for 2 weeks. it was fun and a great learning experience. i had to leave to come back home to schedule …

allstate commecial-shelton ct Not rated yet
Not worth it.decent instructors.terrible trucks.was told to cut a corner on drop and hook.test day.failed.they don't stick with you if you fail.I couldn't …

Southern State Community College - Hillsboro, OH Not rated yet
This is a great program. They have 7 locations in SW Ohio. They offer training for all endorsements and stay with you until you get your CDL. They …

Elite Truck School in Oregon Not rated yet
Good school, crummy trucks though. A lot of foul language used by students and instructors.

Idaho Provisioners/Cargo Express trucking school review Not rated yet
This was a good school for me. Very experienced instructors. I had 3 weeks of instruction, followed by three weeks OTR with a trainer-driver. During …

SAGE CDL Training School -- Indianapolis, Indiana Not rated yet
SAGE Truck Driving School in Indianapolis was outstanding. Before I went to SAGE I had gone to a quick "free" school called C1, but there were …

American Truck Driving Academy, Opelika, Al Not rated yet
I would rate it a 9 out of 10. I went to American in Opelika, Al and was pleased with the whole school from the admissions staff to the instructors. …

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Transunion truck driving school, Tacoma washington Not rated yet
I thought the school was great. we spent the first two weeks in the classroom and then 3 on the road / range. we had quality instructors who took their …

Charlotte Truck Driving School...Chalotte N.C. Not rated yet
I attended Charlotte Truck Driving School in 2009 an was very pleased with there program. The instructors were very professional and explained things so …

cdltrainingnow.com Not rated yet
Was sent to Salt Lake City for training. School was very good! Housing complex needs some improvements.Overall I am very satisfied. Thanks guys!

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 …

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 …

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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. Obviously 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



Truck Driving Schools
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Free CDL Training (Company sponsored training)
Truck Driving Jobs
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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...

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CDL Training

(Summary)

The best route to your CDL depends on your situation.

If there is a community college near you, it may be your best choice.

However, there are many good private schools programs too. Some people will have no choice but attending trucking company training and many of those are good too. Some questions to ask...

  • How long will you have to drive for them to pay off the training?
  • What is the penalty for breaking contract? (If possible, don't break the contract.)
  • How many hours behind the wheel drive time
  • What expenses are you responsible for during training?
  • How much is pay after getting your CDL? Some pay is a set amount and some pay mileage. You just need to know what to expect.

    I just think it is important because most drivers assume they will be getting a regular trucker's salary. Often not true.

Types of Trucking Jobs

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