Commercial driver’s license or CDL training is a program where students can apply to be professional truck drivers. The program lasts up to anywhere between 5-20 weeks. This program can provide you with a vast scope of job opportunities. Depending on the truck driver schools or programs, the fees and options of scholarship can be decided. The government provides manyoptions to pay the fees for driving schools with aid or scholarships, depending on your eligibility. To be a certified commercial truck driver, one must go through many screenings.
Requirements or the eligibility process of applying to driving school programs differ from state to state, so it is recommended to check every state’s needs before applying. There are three types of commercial driver’s license:
Class A- The class A commercial license allows you to drive semi-trailer and trailer vehicles with more axles that exceed 26,000 pounds. With this license, you can operate vehicles that exceed 10,000 pounds. It is also used for vehicles that tow trailers that weigh 10,000 pounds. Depending on the state, you can access heavier trucks like tractor-trailers, double triple-trailers, etc. Class A vehicles can also operate Class B and Class C vehicles.
Class B- This class of commercial licenses gives you access to operate vehicles with a gross vehicle weighting rate of more than 26,000 pounds. The difference between Class A and Class B is that B can’t operate the vehicle if the trailer being towed exceeds 10,000 pounds. It needs to be less than 10,000 pounds. So dump trucks, school buses, or box trucks can be driven by Class B truck operators. Class B truck operators can also drive on Class C vehicles.
Class C- This particular class of operators drives carts that can carry up to 16 passengers, including the operator. They can’t work on trucks mentioned in Classes A and B. So delivery vans, small HAZMAT models, etc., are something this class can operate.
It is essential to know driver’s schools’ requirements or eligibility before applying for them. The fees and other documents differ from program to program, so it is always better to do prior research on the same. The basic requirements are as follows:
Age- you need to be at least 21 to apply for the program.
License- you need to have a driver’s license before applying.
Screening- You should be able to pass the drug and medical test and not have any DUIs in the last five years primarily related to motor vehicles.
Final Thoughts- Many truck driver schools offer these programs but don’t provide the required knowledge.CDLtraining programs often include classroom and hands-on training. Hence it is considered essential to check the syllabus as it differs from state to state and program to program.
As mentioned earlier, the government provides aid and scholarships to various people for multiple programs. Make sure to check if the program that you’ve selected comes under this aid or not. Apart from that, understand the job opportunities that CDL training brings in.