Debunking Some Myths Concerning CDL Training

If you have a decent driving record and enjoy traveling, taking classes to become a commercial truck driver is a good way to open up many new career opportunities. Even though most people who would be interested in becoming a truck driver would do fine with the training part of the process, there are some misconceptions about the training that often get in the way of them making the choice to get started. Here are a few of the biggest myths concerning CDL training classes and the real facts you should know if this is a program you would be interested in pursuing.

Myth: You have to pay a lot of money for CDL training.

Fact: Even though you can choose to go to trucking school and pay a fee for classes, you may not always have to. If you have a trucking company in close enough proximity to your home, you may find out that they have a lot of attractive offers for new drivers. Some will even offer paid training if you will work for them for a contracted amount of time when your training is over.

Myth: In order to take the classes, you will have to stay away from home for long periods of time.

Fact: The length of time you will stay out on the road during training will be reliant on the company that offers the program. However, a lot of companies will only require that you travel with a team driver during their regularly scheduled run. In most cases, this will be about a week at a time and you'll be home on weekends, which is a schedule that will likely be similar to what you would have if you were a commercial driver already. And thankfully, some programs are incredibly short! Some are only two to four weeks in length.

Myth: There are not that many trucking companies that offer CDL training.

Fact: There are way more trucking companies that offer training programs than what most people think. Trucking companies often have a high turnover rate when it comes to their drivers, because drivers are consistently moving on to different career opportunities. Therefore, many companies start up free training programs to attract new drivers to their team.

When you get all of the facts about CDL training programs, you will see that this is a major career move that could be a lot easier to make than you expected. If you would like to know more about how you can get started with a CDL training program, contact a trucking company in your area who has classes available.