South Dakota
Topic 11914 | Page 1
Jimmie, welcome to the forum! My brother went to Western Iowa Tech in Sioux City to get his CDL. It cost him around $2500 if I remember correctly and he liked the program. Or you could look at company-sponsored training. Just check to see if the company you're interested in is hiring out of your area.
There are a lot of Bison trucks in your area too. I think they're out of West Fargo. They were on the "top companies to drive for" list recently. We also had a driver on here who went to K&B out of Sioux City. Heyl is out of Akron, Iowa, and hires from that area also.
CDL:
Commercial Driver's License (CDL)
A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles:
- Any combination of vehicles with a gross combined weight rating (GCWR) of 26,001 or more pounds, providing the gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of the vehicle being towed is in excess of 10,000 pounds.
- Any single vehicle with a GVWR of 26,001 or more pounds, or any such vehicle towing another not in excess of 10,000 pounds.
- Any vehicle, regardless of size, designed to transport 16 or more persons, including the driver.
- Any vehicle required by federal regulations to be placarded while transporting hazardous materials.
Company-sponsored Training:
A Company-Sponsored Training Program is a school that is owned and operated by a trucking company.
The schooling often requires little or no money up front. Instead of paying up-front tuition you will sign an agreement to work for the company for a specified amount of time after graduation, usually around a year, at a slightly lower rate of pay in order to pay for the training.
If you choose to quit working for the company before your year is up, they will normally require you to pay back a prorated amount of money for the schooling. The amount you pay back will be comparable to what you would have paid if you went to an independently owned school.
Company-sponsored training can be an excellent way to get your career underway if you can't afford the tuition up front for private schooling.
Hey Jimmie, welcome.
As an initial step we suggest reading Brett's Book and reviewing the Truck Driver's Career Guide. These two publications are a good starting place and will help build a base of understanding and expectations.
As a second step investing your time in the High Road Training Program is an excellent "self-paced-learning" tool for helping to pass the CDL permit exams.
There are basically two paths/choices you can take for schools; Company-Sponsored Training and Truck Driving Schools. To help make the right choice, the link How To Choose A School provides a good set of criteria for making your decision.
Good luck and let us know how else we can assist you.
CDL:
Commercial Driver's License (CDL)
A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles:
- Any combination of vehicles with a gross combined weight rating (GCWR) of 26,001 or more pounds, providing the gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of the vehicle being towed is in excess of 10,000 pounds.
- Any single vehicle with a GVWR of 26,001 or more pounds, or any such vehicle towing another not in excess of 10,000 pounds.
- Any vehicle, regardless of size, designed to transport 16 or more persons, including the driver.
- Any vehicle required by federal regulations to be placarded while transporting hazardous materials.
Company-sponsored Training:
A Company-Sponsored Training Program is a school that is owned and operated by a trucking company.
The schooling often requires little or no money up front. Instead of paying up-front tuition you will sign an agreement to work for the company for a specified amount of time after graduation, usually around a year, at a slightly lower rate of pay in order to pay for the training.
If you choose to quit working for the company before your year is up, they will normally require you to pay back a prorated amount of money for the schooling. The amount you pay back will be comparable to what you would have paid if you went to an independently owned school.
Company-sponsored training can be an excellent way to get your career underway if you can't afford the tuition up front for private schooling.
OOS:
When a violation by either a driver or company is confirmed, an out-of-service order removes either the driver or the vehicle from the roadway until the violation is corrected.
New Reply:
New! Check out our help videos for a better understanding of our forum features
Preview:
Why Join Trucking Truth?
- The High Road Training Program
- The High Road Article Series
- The Friendliest Trucker's Forum Ever!
- Email Updates When New Articles Are Posted
Apply For Paid CDL Training Through TruckingTruth
Did you know you can fill out one quick form here on TruckingTruth and apply to several companies at once for paid CDL training? Seriously! The application only takes one minute. You will speak with recruiters today. There is no obligation whatsoever. Learn more and apply here:
TT On Facebook
Hello all, here is my situation. I am 39 y/o retired navy, 100% disabled so money is not the reason why I am looking to get into trucking, I like to be on the move, I have a family but they are used to me never being around and frankly I think it helps to keep the peace lol, for those that are prior vets with lots of deployments you know what I am getting at. I don't have a CDL and I am looking to get mine, I don't want to owner operate or get sucked into some lease like CR England, while obviously there is lots of trucking in this area there are no huge companies around here to train you and help you get the driving time you need. I am willing to commute to Sioux City or Omaha to get training and work out of those areas. So is there anyone with knowledge of whats available in those areas i listed, any assistance or advice anyone could provide would be great.
CDL:
Commercial Driver's License (CDL)
A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles:
HOS:
Hours Of Service
HOS refers to the logbook hours of service regulations.