CDL Training: A Guide to Getting Your Commercial Driver’s License
In the summer of 2016, I signed up for a course at my local community college named Commercial Vehicle Driving. Little did I know how this 2-month course would forever change my life in ways I had never imagined. Financially I would go on to earn more than any other career in my adult life aside from a business I had started in the mid-2000s. The consistent paychecks coming in a weekly basis put me on an entirely new financial footing. I got to see new areas of the country and meet a lot of people.
CDL Training at Your Local College
If you are lucky enough to live near a sizeable community college, they may offer a CDL course like mine did. My cdl education consisted of two full time months and costed around $5000. The training was top notch. The first month we sat in a classroom for half of the day studying books and taking tests. The second half of the day we would go out into the yard and learn about how to pre-trip a semi-truck. During the 2nd month we would hit the road in the truck for half of the day and drive around the local highways and roads with three students assigned per truck. We took turns driving until each of us acquired the minimum amount of driving hours to pass the CDL course. During the rest of the day, we would practice our backing in the parking lot attached to the school. There were three backing maneuvers we practiced daily: straight back, alley dock and parallel parking.
On the last week of the course, we took our official pre-trip and road tests given to us by certified CDL testers. I will not lie the road test and the backing test were quite challenging. One mistake and you had to take the test over again and they only gave us three tries for the backing and two tries for the road test. So, there was a lot of pressure to pass which did not help. I watched several students fail the backing and road tests before I even took mine, so this just added to the pressure. I failed my backing tests initially but finally passed the last of three. Talk about a close call. I passed the road test on my first try. In my experience backing is one the hardest skills you will learn while driving a tractor with a 53-foot trailer attached. It takes months or even a couple of years to really start to get it down. And even then, every backing can still be a little bit of a challenge.
Mega Carrier Training
A lot of people attracted to a career in trucking may find themselves unable to pay for a local truck school. Going to school as an adult is usually an expensive endeavor and not everyone has money flowing out of their bank account. Luckily, I had sold my previous business so had the cash to pay my local college the tuition to take the CDL classes. I have some good news for though if you are unable to produce the money to go to truck school. Several of the mega carriers will train you and cover the initial cost of your training. You will usually have to sign a contract however which will will force you to drive for that carrier for a specified amount of time in order to pay off the training they gave you for free. So, it is not really free per to say but it is a zero upfront cost option to obtain your CDL and while also giving a job right afterwards. A couple of downsides here include you will make a lower paycheck than the experienced truck driver out there. Also, during the time spent training for the CDL you may receive a small amount of pay per day if anything at all. As a trucker most of us had to pay the price of driving for a less than a desirable carrier starting out in order to get our experience. Once you get your 1 or 2 years of driving experience however the entire world of trucking is available before your eyes. It is well worth the investment.
Specialized Trucking School
Most major cities will have a trucking school which specialize in training students and getting them their CDL. One such popular school is Roadmaster. But there are many others. The advantage of going to a school like this is they are going to do everything possible to get you your CDL as quick as possible. The downside is they may rush you through quicker versus learning in a CDL program at your local college. They will be focused on teaching you the bare minimum of what you need to know to pass your CDL exam, backing and road tests. The private schools can also be quite expensive so be prepared to pay up. You also will not be eligible for any type of a state resident discount compared to say going to your local community college and taking their CDL course.
CDL Training Summary
If you have done your homework and are determined to become a professional truck driver. CDL school is your best option. First try the public schools around you and see if they offer a class. If not, a specialized trucking school is your second-best option. And if you are short on the money or just want a job right away you could always apply at one of the mega carriers which offer CDL training combined with an actual job. If there is one thing for sure you can never get enough training in trucking especially when starting out. There is a ton to learn as a trucking student. More than any average person has any idea of. It is a complicated job and there are many things you have to learn in order to do it safely. It is also heavy regulated, and you have to learn the rules of the road. It is also a skill-based profession, and it requires a large amount of expert driving and backing skills which do not come easy for a lot of people. Overall, though if you are up for the challenge and are somewhat of a recluse a career as a professional truck driver can be an incredibly good living.
