cdl 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.

Free Truck Driving Schools

April 14, 2015 by Matt

Free truck driving schools are often found in trucking companies that offer truck driving courses. These courses are often offered to drivers who would like to apply and work in the company after finishing the truck driving course. The training can either be given by the company itself or be outsourced to a truck driving school with which they have a contract. But if you are really going to look at it, you can never really find a school which offers “free” truck driving lessons, as they all require a firm work contract after you graduate.

Trucking companies often advertise their “free” truck driving lessons on their websites in order to attract potential employees to their company. What most people do not really read is the accompanying terms and conditions with such a contract for free truck driving lessons. Do you think a company would spend that much on a person with whom they do not have any assurance of future employment to their company? So, in the end, these free truck driving schools will eventually have to be paid by you. You can have the training for free for now, but after you become employed the company will be deducting costs from your salary as a way to pay for your education expenses.

When you sign up to free truck driving schools, what you can actually get are poor quality facilities and instructors. Since most schools would usually outsource most of their training to cheaper truck driving schools, you would not usually get the best type of education that there is. Trucking companies are only interested in making a truck driver out of you with the shortest and cheapest amount of instruction. The demand for truck drivers has grown with the consequent shortage of available truck drivers.

After graduating from a free truck driving school, you would either be required to stay with the trucking company which offered the training for at least two years under a reduced salary or to pay for the training itself. So, it is not really that free after all. Your free education came with the condition to work for the company after you finish the course or to pay for the whole if you choose to leave your work. All of the advertised free training by trucking companies often have such conditions attached to them and you may not be in the know about them until you read their terms and conditions. So be on the lookout for such offers in the market.

As a conclusion, I can say that there is actually no free truck driving schools. They are either truck driving courses which are offered by trucking companies with corresponding employment conditions or are truck driving schools which are contracted by such trucking companies. Either way, you can never really find a totally free truck driving school in the United States. You would always have to pay back for the free training and schooling that you got from them either by salary deductions or by paying for them if you decide not to abide by their conditions.

Here is a list of the most popular truck driving companies that offer “free” company sponsored training:

– CR England – CR England operates the Premier truck driving school and offers jobs to their graduates.
– CRST Trucking – CRST offers a company-sponsored training program through one of their area affiliate schools.
– Swift – Swift is one of the largest truck driving companies and offer programs to help you get your CDL in as few as 21 days.
– Prime – Prime Trucking operates a 40,000 square foot school facility in Springfield, MO with sleeping rooms, computer lab, work stations, cafés, and a simulator training lab
– Roehl – Roehl operates a large company with many opportunities driving one of their 1,900 tractors.

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

United States Truck Driving School

November 22, 2014 by Matt

The United States Truck Driving School is a company which provides truck driver training in the Colorado area. With the demand for truck drivers increasing each year, truck driving may just be the best career opportunity for you. Employment is guaranteed with about 200,000 job openings for the next few years. If you cannot afford to pay for your own truck driver training, the company will be able to provide you with the financial assistance that you need. They also have partner trucking corporations who can offer tuition reimbursements after you get hired.

United States Truck Driving School also offers truck driver training through accredited schools near the applicant’s location. This way, you can save hundreds of dollars yet still get quality training. The company only has several truck driving schools that they recognize to be the ones that they can provide the best truck driver training in a particular location. They will refer you to one of their accredited schools if you wish to train for truck driving. The United States Truck Driving School will pay for the costs of the training or put a $500 credit for the tuition fees.

To those who will be taking military training, they offer the “Drive the Guard” program, which allows those who will be enlisted to enjoy several benefits. One of which is they will continue to accept pay while they are undergoing the truck driver training. The company will also offer you a “pre-hire” contract with participating motor carriers which can assure you a spot on employment after you have finished military training. This is definitely an advantage especially to those who cannot see any other job opportunity after their training in the military. They can also enjoy tuition reimbursement during their employment with the motor carrier.

The United States Truck Driving School will offer you the services that you need in order to find a career path in truck driving. They have job placement services as well as they assure that you get the best possible truck driver training in your own location. This means that you get to go home more often than you expected and enjoy more free time with your family while earning a good pay. This is hardly the situation with other truck driving schools as students would sometimes need to travel a hundred miles just to get the proper training.

The United States Truck Driving School’s Drive the Guard Program was made by a partnership with the National Guard and the Commercial Driver Training Foundation, Inc. which is a unique aspect of this school’s truck driver training program. Due to the program, trucking companies often hire a lot of graduates by the United States Truck driving school with their highly skilled students who have had military training. Hence, you can easily expect a job offer after you finish your military training. Aside from that, you can also expect to get a higher bonus upon retirement from the service as well as a better security of tenure on your job.

Contact Details for United States Truck Driving School:

8150 W 48th Ave, Wheat Ridge, CO 80033
Phone: (888) 308-8170

Daly’s Truck Driving School

November 11, 2014 by Matt

If you are looking for a good truck driving school in the area around Georgia, you can try Daly’s Truck Driving School. They offer a Class A and Class B CDL training program in their campus in as short as 17 days. Daly’s is one of the premier truck driving schools in Georgia due to their realistic training as well as to their thorough class instructions. If you want to learn a lot about truck driving and would not settle for the second best school, then Daly’s would be a good choice.

Daly’s Truck Driving School employs real-life settings and situations in training students behind the wheel. They make use of the latest models of equipments as well as the most apt instructors in order to provide their students with what they need in order to earn their CDL license. The school’s Class A truck driving program lasts for 17 days depending on whether you take their full time or part time classes. Part timers would need to spend about twice the length of the training in order to finish the course. They have a new class starting every two weeks for the Class A training. Class B CDL training however lasts only for about 7 days and includes both the classroom and actual driving sessions.

The school will assist you in acquiring your CDL permit as well as in getting your CDL license. They have various companies who visit their school each year and are willing to pay for a student’s tuition and other fees for the training. Hence, students need not worry about where they can get financial assistance in regards to the training. They also provide the experience that you need in order to get employed if you already have your own CDL license. The school will give you a wide opportunity to work with several companies in order to gain time on truck driving. You can choose the company to work for as well as the kind of pay that you want.

Daly’s makes use of actual circumstance along the road for their training. This means that you are trained in actual situations that may arise when you get a job as a truck driver. Training is done on actual trucks which are from late models which make it closer to what you will be using once you become employed. Lodging and transportation are also provided during the course of the training as well as other benefits. Your instructors would also be persons who have had an extensive experience in truck driving all their life. You can ask them any question that you may have in mind and they can help you out with the coursework.

After finishing the training, you will be given a certificate and a diploma for entry level drivers which are recognized in the industry. This means that you can earn your job immediately after completing the course. The school is licensed by the State of Georgia Department of Driver Services is a member of the Commercial Vehicle Training Association.

Daly’s Truck Driving School
2314 Peachtree Industrial Blvd,
Buford, GA 30518
770-614-6022
Website: www.dalystruckdrivingschool.com
(17 day course offered)