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Truck Driving Schools in South Dakota

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Having a Commercial Driver’s License or CDL is crucial in starting a career as a truck driver in South Dakota. Without a CDL, you won’t be able to engage in either intrastate or interstate truck driving work. To ensure the safety of all those who are on the road, newer regulations have been made and must be met by all applicants to get a CDL. Compared to other careers, getting a CDL is relatively easy if you know what to do. First of all, you must be of the proper age before you start considering a career in this industry. You must be at least 18 years old to drive within South Dakota. Applicants must be 21 years or older if they wish to drive interstate. Next, applicants must be able to get a medical certificate issued by a DOT certified physician to prove that they are physically fit to drive for possibly long periods of time.

Next, you should get a copy of the South Dakota CDL Manual from either the DMV office or the internet. The manual will contain important information that is needed to pass both the written and skills tests that will be conducted by the DWV. The manual will teach applicants about the areas where they will be tested on, especially in the second part of the exam. Before one can take the General Knowledge Test, applicants must first be able to pass the vision test. Additional tests will be given to applicants who wish to add endorsements to their CDL. Having an additional endorsement will let you perform additional duties. Applicants must get at least 80% in order to pass the written test and receive a temporary license permit.

blue-semi-truckThis license permit will only be issued upon passing the General Knowledge Test. The permit will allow the CDL applicants to drive a commercial vehicle while being supervised by a licensed driver. When you feel that you are ready, go to the nearest DMV office and schedule a day for the road test. Please remember that the permit is only valid for a few months and that applicants must take the road test before their permit expires.

The road test is divided into three parts and will cover a variety of topics, such as vehicle inspection, control testing, and an actual on-road testing. All parts of the road test must be passed using the vehicle the applicant plans to drive after obtaining a CDL. Having a truck driving career in South Dakota is actually nice. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average salary of South Dakota commercial truck drivers is around $34,100 per year. This can vary depending on various conditions such as the industry one is working, the company, and seniority. The BLS expects that there would be an increase of 21% in job demand by the end of 2020.

List of Truck Driving Schools in SD

Rapid City

Western Dakota Tech Institute
800 Mickleson Drive,
Rapid City, SD 57703
Phone: (605) 394-4034

Sioux Falls

MCT Transportation Inc.
P.O. Box 5233
Sioux Falls, SD 57117
(888) 310-1854

Southeast Technical Institute
2301 Career Place
Sioux Falls, SD 57107
(605) 367-7619

Yankton

American Truck Driving Academy
904 W. 23rd Street, Suite 105
Yankton, SD 57078
(866) 308-7755

To submit a CDL school to this page you can use our contact form. To enter a submission, please send the business name, address, and company phone number to be considered.

Truck Driving License in South Dakota

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A truck driving license in South Dakota is an important aspect of working as a commercial truck driver in the state. Without a valid truck driving license, you will not be able to engage in either an intrastate or an interstate truck driving work. Newer regulations have been made which required all applicants for truck driving to possess certain qualifications in order to make sure that they can safely and securely handle truck driving in the United States. If you wish to become involved in this type of work, you must be able to pass the state’s requirements for truck drivers.

The first thing that you must possess is the proper age which is 18 years old for an intrastate truck driver, and 21 years old for an interstate truck driver. You must also be a legal resident of the United States and of the state heavy-equipment-truckingof South Dakota in order to apply for a truck driver’s license in this state. Without these requirements you would not be able to secure even a learner’s permit. Next, you should also be able to read and speak in English well as most of the road signs and communications are done in this language.

After this, you should try to read the South Dakota CDL Manual which will teach you about truck driving and the information that you would need in order to pass both the written and the skills test that will be conducted by the DMV, or DPS as it is known in this state. The manual will teach you about the areas where you will be tested on especially during the actual driving test such as pre-trip inspection, basic driving skills, and road test. Aside from this, you would also have to read and understand the current regulations about self-certification and truck driver requirements issued by the DPS.

When you are ready for the written test, you should be able to prepare the following documents at hand: valid IDs, your current driver’s license, proof of residence in South Dakota, proof of legal status in the United States, Social Security number, DOT medical certificate, vision test results, self-certification, and a filled-out application form. Some of the forms can either be acquired through your local driver licensing office or through a DOT accredited physician or medical practitioner. Some of these documents will be required before you take the written exam which will provide you with your learner’s permit.

If you pass the written test, you will then be issued a learner’s permit which you can use to drive a truck as long as you are accompanied by an individual with a CDL for the type of truck that you are driving. This permit is valid only for a few months so make sure that you learn all that you can about truck driving during this period. When you are ready, you can schedule for your driving test where you will be tested on pre-trip inspection, basic driving skills, and road test. Passing all of these tests will lead you to get your truck driving license in South Dakota.

If you are in need of training you can find truck driving schools in SD to help learn the skills required to pass the license exams. Classes can be finished in a few weeks and many facilities offer financing as well as job placement upon completion. To learn more about requirements to get your CDL, you can read the driver’s manual linked below.

South Dakota Department of Public Safety
Mailing Address – 118 West Capitol Avenue
Pierre, SD 57501
Website: South Dakota DPS
SD Commercial Driver License Manual
1-800-952-3696
605-773-6883