license Archives - Truck Driving School HQ

How to Get a CDL

June 13, 2016 by Matt

This page is dedicated to showing you how to get a CDL, or commercial drivers license. Since the requirements for a CDL differ for each state we’ve included a comprehensive list.

Click on the name of your state below to get further information about the steps required to get your license.

CDL Requirements by U.S State

Before you apply to work as a truck driver, you should first know how to get a CDL or a Commercial Driver’s License. Without this license, you will not be employed by any trucking company and you will not be allowed to drive a truck in the first place.

First, you need to apply for a CDL permit which is used by students of truck driving while they are learning how to drive a truck. But before you get that, you have to pass a test first which would cover basic aspects of the truck in order to know if you have the basic knowledge needed to operate a truck. When you have this permit, you can drive a truck around the state as long as you have someone with you who has a Commercial Driver’s driving-big-rig License with him. The permit is valid for 6 months which is just about how much time you need to finish a truck driving course.

A CDL permit is only issued to those who are at least 18 years of age and a commercial driver’s license is issued if you are at least 21 years of age. After you graduate from a truck driving school, you can now apply for a CDL in your state. For you to be able to do this, you need to pass a physical exam by the Department of Transportation. They are tests designed to know if you have the physical capacity to handle the tasks required in a truck driver such as lifting, pulling and doing vehicle inspections. There are also some required medical exams in some states although this is not the norm.

If you pass the said physical exam, you can now take the written test and schedule your road test. This is the final commercial driver’s license requirements are composed of two parts. First, you need to take the written tests which are designed to correspond with the type of vehicle that you will be driving although there is a general knowledge test which is required for all such types. The tests are as follows and which can be conducted on different days: General Knowledge, Passenger Transport, School Bus, Air Brakes, Combination Vehicles, Hazardous Materials, Tanker Test, and the Doubles or Triples Test. They are special endorsements which you can choose to take at the exam too.

After passing the written test, you would have to undergo the skills test which measures you capability to safely operate the truck before, during, and after driving. The skills test is composed of three parts which cover pre-trip vehicle inspection, basic vehicle control, and on-road driving. You will be tested on different skills such as maneuvering the truck on heavy traffic as well as checking the safety and condition of your truck. Some of the tests will not be done on one single day and you may have to come back for another day for the other parts of the test.

Hamrick Truck Driving School

December 6, 2014 by Matt

For those who are looking towards a career in truck driving, it would be a good step to enroll in the Hamrick Truck Driving School. The school offers the best facilities as well as the best truck driving instructors that can be found in the Ohio area. They are approved and accredited by the Ohio State Board of Career Colleges and Schools and licensed by the Ohio Department of Highway Safety.

The school offers two types of truck driving programs for those who are interested to learn about truck driving. They have the Advanced Truck Driver Training program which is suitable for those who have few or no experience at all with truck driving, and the Master Truck Driver Training program which is aimed for those who would like to improve their driving skills. The course provides the basic skills and information that is needed for entry-level positions in trucking companies. After finishing the course, you would be assisted by the school in taking your CDL Temporary Permit, CDL Skills test, and in your job hunt.

Various financial assistance programs are available to those who cannot afford to pay for their own training. The school is provides financial assistance to those who are qualified for the Workforce Investment Act. They also provide grants to veterans who would like to avail of the program. There is also the option of employer reimbursement program where companies would be paying for the tuition fees of the student once they become employed with their company. The reimbursement can range from $1,500 to $5,000 depending on the organization or employer.

Different companies offer about 250-280 job opening to students of the Hamrick Truck Driving School each year. Such companies include Arrow Trucking, Baylor Trucking, Berger Allied, Burlington Motor Carriers, Carter Lumber, Bud Meyer, and Boyd Brothers. One of the advantages of enrolling in this school is the supplementary training that they give for free to students who are not able to pass the CDL exams.

Hamrick Truck Driving School
1156 Medina Road,
Medina, Ohio
(330) 239-2229
Website: www.hamrickschool.edu/

Visit This Page For Additional CDL Schools in Ohio

Schneider Truck Driving School

September 10, 2012 by Matt

If you are looking forward to a career in truck driving, you should consider applying for a program by Schneider Truck Driving School. Since truck driving is fast becoming as one of the most in-demand work in the United States, enrolling in a truck driving program may seem to be the wisest move in order to gain stable employment in the future. Markets are now expanding gradually and so you can expect a constant demand for employment involving transportation of goods. Aside from that, there are also a lot of benefits that come with being a truck driver including paid vacations and leaves.

Schneider truck driving school understands the great demand that is now being put on the trucking industry and so, the goal of this company is to provide the safest and the most modern equipments that can be used in the training and in the employment of truck drivers. Aside from the truck driving courses that their students go through, they also provide post-truck driving courses which include subjects such as safety, trip planning, and the operation of modern electronic gadgets that they use with their trucks.

You do not have to travel long distances in order to acquire your training at Schneider truck driving school. The company has partnered with several truck driving schools in different states all over the US in order to allow prospective students to complete truck driving courses. Anyone who is interested in finding a future employment in the trucking business through Schneider National can apply for any truck driving course that is available in their location and receive a tuition reimbursement after they become employed in the company.

You can avail of this program by logging on to the company’s website. You just select the truck driving school where you wish to enroll in and then proceed with the other instructions. After finishing the course, Schneider National will put you through a screening process which will then lead you to the company’s own classroom truck driving course. Here you will have a refresher course on trip planning, rules and regulations, truck and driver safety, and the company’s electronic communications system which includes GPS navigation, wireless communication, web browsing, and electronic logging system.

According to Schneider National, they place a high importance on truck and road safety that is why they provide additional trainings for this on their truck drivers. To do this, they make use of high-end simulators where drivers can practice maneuvers on potential situations on the road which may as well have been too risky to do if done in real conditions. Aside from that, they also have a 15-20 mile road test for pre-trip inspection and coupling and uncoupling of tractor-trailers. The length of the training, which includes classroom sessions, simulators, and road test, will vary according to the driver’s ability to learn and grasp the concept of the training. You need to remember that Schneider employs high-end technology which may be pretty confusing especially for those who are not familiar with computer usage.

Schneider Truck Driving School Company Video

Call Schneider CDL School from their phone number: 1-800-44-PRIDE

Truck Driving School Cost

July 8, 2012 by Matt

One of the most commonly asked question about learning to be a commercial truck driver is, what is the truck driving school cost. Well the answer is simple – they are various. There is the “free” truck driving school, there are cheap truck driving schools and there are the more expensive ones which offer some of the best trainings in truck driving. Some of the schools also have separate fees for other materials such as books and other manuals so the costs can definitely vary according to a school’s training program.

There are various expenses that will be incurred in truck driving schools such as uniform and attire, books, maps, guides, and even hotel accommodations if it happens to be that the school is on another state. You also need to include the daily transportation expenses that you will incur during the whole duration of your schooling as well as the corresponding meals that you would need to take.

If you are on a financially difficult situation and cannot afford to pay for your own education, you can opt for the free truck driving lessons which are being offered by trucking companies. You will not have to pay for anything and they may even pay for your other expenses such as meals and accommodations. You would only pay for it after you have been hired by the company through salary deductions. This way, you would be able to pay in small increments what you have cost the company with the assurance of an employment. C. R. England is a trucking company which offers a truck driving course for as low as $1,500 dollars but this has a corresponding condition to work for their company after graduating. You can also choose to pay for the training for as low as $2,995 which includes different phases of training.

According to sources, the lowest that you can pay for a truck driving course is about $1,500 but that includes the risk of not getting the best education too. The most expensive truck driving course would cost about $10,000 but this will include all the necessary materials that you would need for the course. Some schools can even offer their students with high-end driving simulators too. They also include payments for books and driving guides as well. The more expensive schools often have better instructors and trucks that are used for the actual driving. Aside from that, they can also assure their students with longer hours of actual driving than those which offer cheaper programs.

If you are looking for value in a truck driving school, you should compare what it would cost you to finish the program with what you will actually learn in the end. A lot of those cheap truck driving schools often do not let their students actually drive a truck as it is very costly. The more expensive ones on the other hand are costly due to the quality of education that they can provide you. So, in the end, you would always get what you have paid for.