106.DRIVING SCHOOLS JOBS

A severe shortage of OTR ("over the road") truck drivers, also known as "long haul" drivers, has made truck driver training virtually free (to the student, anyway) and guarantees a job waiting after truck driver school -- if not sooner.The goal of truck driving schools is not only to get you your Commercial Driver's License (CDL), but also to make you competent to handle a tractor trailer (CDL Class A) or small rigs like dump trucks (CDL Class B). Obviously, that's a hands-on experience -- you can't get complete CDL training online

The process of getting a Commercial Driver's License (CDL) is basically the same in every state. States require those that are learning to become commercial drivers to first obtain a state CDL permit. To get the permit, a student has to take written exams at the state department of motor vehicles (or Driver's License Bureau--each state has its own name for the agency). These include the General Knowledge test, the Combination Vehicle test and an Air Brakes test. Most truck drivers also usually take the optional endorsement tests for Hazardous Materials ("Hazmat"), Double and Triple Trailers ("Doubles/Triples") and Tankers. These endorsements are marked on the permit so that the driver is authorized to operate this type of equipment. After a permit is issued, a student driver can only drive a tractor-trailer when there is a CDL-licensed driver accompanying him or her in the passenger's seat. Permits usually expire after six months. Once you have the Permit, you have to learn how to drive a truck. That's where truck driving schools come in.

After the driver is trained and learns to maneuver the truck, a driving skills exam is administered by the state (some states allow private "third party testers" to administer the test on behalf of the state). The driver must demonstrate he/she knows how to inspect the vehicle prior to operating it, how to conduct an air brake test and then demonstrate basic parking, backing and other driving skills. The driving skills test takes place on a closed driving range as well as public roads. Although the process of getting a CDL is straight forward, it takes time to learn the information necessary to pass the written knowledge tests, the inspection and air brake exams and the driving skills test. Plus there is a lot of information beyond what is needed to get your CDL that you need to know. Good schools focus on this.

There are essentially three different types of truck driver training programs. The first is a private school, the second is a public institution and the third is a training program run by a motor carrier. That being said, there are typically significant differences that we'll explain below.These schools are owned and operated by private, for-profit entities (such as a corporation or a partnership). Their business is to provide training for students interested in the trucking industry. The advantage to going to a private school is that they are there for one purpose only: to train drivers for America's trucking companies. Public Institution are schools that are chartered, owned, operated and funded by a state or local government. They are frequently called "publicly funded" truck driving schools for this reason.