If you’re considering going to an independent paid CDL school, you’re probably going to have to pay up front. The trucking school I attended in 2015 in Chester Virginia was $5000.
I got through that CDL school program with no problems and finished on time. But I must admit, it didn’t quite go like I thought that it would.
This is my top 10 pieces of information that everyone needs to know before attending any paid CDL school.
Let’s jump right in…
1. There Is No Guarantee Of A CDL After Attending Paid CDL School
There is no guarantee that you will have your CDL (commercial driver’s license) at the end of your course.
If you are going full-time to a school, your course will probably be around 30 days. If you are going to the school part-time (on weekends) your course will probably be closer to two months.
I attended school part-time, Saturday and Sunday from 8-4 for eight weekends. Several people who attended the school with me did not have their CDL by the end of course.
Some failed various portions of the test, some had problems with their medical card. The point is, just because you pay your money does NOT necessarily mean you’ll have your CDL by the expected date.
To be sure you finish on time WITH your CDL in hand, it’s going to be up to you!
2. In Paid CDL School Their Goal Is NOT To Teach You How To Drive
Believe it or not when it comes to independent paid Trucking schools, their goal is NOT necessarily to teach you how to drive a truck. Their goal is to help you pass your CDL test so that you can get your CDL.
But passing the CDL test is different than having the skill to safely operate a truck on public highways.
I’m sure you know people that passed their states driving tests but still don’t drive too well. The same happens with commercial drivers. I actually didn’t know that before I enrolled in CDL school.
The point of this tip is, if your first time being around a truck is in trucking school and you literally have NO KNOWLEDGE of a truck, OR how to operate one, don’t expect to come out of CDL school feeling like you know how to drive a truck.
The fact is, several people in my class did NOT feel they were ready to be behind the wheel of a truck at the end of the course.
Again, it’s up to you to be sure you get sufficient practice and plenty of wheel time while you’re in paid CDL school.
3. You Can Learn A Lot Of What They Teach You In Paid CDL School On Your Own
Literally everything they teach you in paid CDL school can be learned on your own. Remember, their objective in most cases is simply to make sure you know everything you need to know in order to pass the DMV test to get your CDL.
And what do you need to know to pass the DMV test to get your CDL?
Simply put, you need to know how to inspect the truck, and how to drive the truck.
You can learn what to inspect on the truck in your state’s commercial driving manual. And you can learn how to drive a truck from anyone (not saying that you should).
Likewise when it comes to getting your CDL learners permit. You yourself can just go to the DMV and get the CDL manual. You can study all of the appropriate sections to pass your written exam on your own and get your commercial learners permit on your own.
4. It May Not Be Mandatory To Go to a CDL School In Your State
In some states, it is mandatory to go to a truck driving school in order to get your CDL. But in other states, like Virginia, you don’t necessarily have to go to a truck driving school if you don’t want to.
Can you get hired if you don’t attend a truck driving school?
There are many companies that will hire you as a new CDL driver even though you didn’t go to a truck driving school. Employers know that typically truck driving schools are not teaching you how to actually drive a truck anyway.
5. Are the Instructors At The School Just Teachers? Or Actual Truck Drivers?
Whether the teachers and/ or instructors are actual truck drivers or at least ex-truck drivers or not makes a huge difference.
I previously mentioned that generally speaking the school’s objective is not to teach you how to drive but how to pass the CDL test. When I went to truck driving school, fortunately, I was in a class of an actual truck driver.
When she would go through something in the FMCSA book or CDL manual, she would actually relate it to a real-life story of when she and her husband were out on the road.
I recall wondering why would she repeatedly take up our valuable class time to tell us “road stories” as opposed to just making sure we knew what was in the book so we could pass the test and get our CDL.
It wasn’t until after I finished CDL school that I realized she was actually trying to teach us what we really needed to know about driving a truck.
She would emphasize all those stories essentially because she wanted us to not just know how to drive a truck but also how to be safe out on the road.
I did not understand the value of that while I was in her class. But after I finished school, I realized that’s the sort of person your instructor should be.
Your instructor should not just tell you everything you need to know in order to pass the test but they should also teach you how to be safe on the while out on the road.
6. What Are The Average Class Sizes
If you are going to a truck driving school with few instructors but bigger classes, you’ll want to know that up front probably. The reason being is that you may, in the long run, need some individual time and/ or attention.
Also, if your truck driving school has many students and not enough trucks to accommodate, you may not get much wheel time.
I have talked with several people that have gone through a paid CDL program that felt they didn’t get enough behind the wheel time.
So if you think you may require extra attention or extra time behind the wheel be sure to ask about class sizes, availability of instructors and and availability of trucks/ equipment before you pay your money to attend.
7. How Much Wheel Time Are You Going To Get
Many people who come out of a truck driving school feel like they did not have enough wheel time.
Some driving schools give you more wheel time than others. You may want to consider asking that question upfront when you speak to your driving school before attending it.
8. What Is Your Likelihood Of Passing And Getting Your CDL On Time
As you are interviewing potential truck driving schools throw in that question and see what is your likelihood of getting your CDL on time IF you do everything you are supposed to do.
You can also talk to a few students around the yard and find out. If you are going to a driving school where only 25% of the people pass the CDL test on time, you may want to reconsider your options.
9. What Happens If You Fail
Make sure to discuss this with potential trucking schools.
What happens if you fail?
What happens if you fail once?
What happens if you fail three times?
Will they want more money from you if you fail?
If you need extra attention or more time, are they going to charge you for that?
Some schools may and some schools may not. The school I attended allowed an individual to continue coming and practicing with the school’s equipment if they needed to.
But I have also come across people who have said their school wanted to charge them extra to continue coming.
10. What Are The School’s Relationships With Potential Employers
If you want to get employed right out of CDL school, it may benefit you to attend a school with a relationship with local employers.
In other words, find out if your school has companies/ employers in their contact database that they send drivers to?
Or whether there are any companies/ potential employers that normally come to the school to recruit new drivers?
Their network of employers is definitely beneficial for you.
So there you have ten things to know about a paid CDL school before you pay your money