Certified Vs Accredited Training Schools

In reading as much as possible from the Trucking Truth web site, I noticed Brett mentions Certified and Accredited schools. My question: what is the difference and how can I find out?

Hey David. Really sorry I missed this question somehow.

When it comes to Truck Driving Schools it's not really very important to be accredited. There are a few accrediting agencies for the industry but their accreditation means little or nothing to most companies.

Most states will certify schools with their own process of some sort. But again, this isn't a big thing to be concerned with.

The biggest, most important thing to concern yourself with when choosing a truck driving school is finding out which major companies hire students from that school. Ask the school for a list of some of the major companies that hire their students and then call a few of them yourself from home to verify this. If several major companies will hire from a school then you know they're a legitimate candidate.

Accreditation is a big deal in the Community College and University system mostly for the purposes of assuring the classes are legit when issuing student loans and knowing which credits can transfer from one school to another. In trucking you really don't have the need. There is no training standard when it comes to truck driving schools. Each state sets their own requirements to certify a school but those requirements rarely involve anything about their actual curriculum.

So don't be too concerned with accreditation when it comes to truck driving schools. Just make sure that several major companies will hire their students and that the current students attending the school are pleased with it. If you can satisfy those two conditions then you have a legitimate candidate to consider.

Accreditation is a big deal in the Community College and University system mostly for the purposes of assuring the classes are legit when issuing student loans and knowing which credits can transfer from one school to another.

If you were going to go through truck driver training at a community college, as I did, you would want it to be accredited. This would allow you to receive any state or federal funding towards the cost of the school. In Georgia we have the HOPE scholarship which is a lottery funded financial aid program. The state was also cutting some of the cost of CDL school. There are also other grants you may be eligible for when attending a college. As for anything other than a college, I advise taking Brett's advice.

Appreciate the clarification. I called 6 different "schools" here in Southern California that are in my region. They were all State certified and or board approved. There were ma & pa individual training, 4 week training and a couple of direct long haul schools that would only allow you into their school after passing an interview, they trained and then you were directly employed at a company.

Because I had prior road experience, I went to the ma/pa individual training. I only needed the help to pass the CA. DMV testing. I was planning on retiring, got a speeding ticket (my first in 20 yrs.) A local cop said to get rid of the class A and I could take traffic school - man, was that a bunch of B.S.! Got rid of the class A, still had to pay for the ticket because when the ticket was issued I had the class A.

Anyhow, lesson learned. I am going through all the motions like a rookie! What a difference in how things have changed since I first went to the DMV in 1980!

Thanks again

Because I had prior road experience, I went to the ma/pa individual training. I only needed the help to pass the CA. DMV testing.

Just make sure you have a job lined up that will hire you upon completing whatever courses you take. Because your experience was so long ago they're going to basically treat you as if you've never driven a truck. So every company will have requirements regarding what type of training you'll need at this point. Most companies will probably require the full training since it's been so long and because you gave up your CDL. So don't pick a school assuming someone will hire you after you graduate. Make sure major companies hire from the school.

You can even Apply For Truck Driving Jobs With One Application right here on TruckingTruth and see if you can get some pre-hires. If you're not familiar with that term by chance, it basically means they'll look over your record and determine whether or not you'll qualify to work there. Because they'll require schooling they'll tell you which schools they'll hire from the in area also.

For those that would like to read more about pre-hires we have an excellent article that will help you Understand Pre-Hires.

Just wanted to say thanks. Info was very helpful, regardless of my age and past experience. Checking with area trucking outfits, I found that getting more road time before passing the DMV and getting hired was a pre-requisite for all companies. The Ma/Pa would be ok for some situations but in my case, more hours and a bit more $$$ up front will be worth it. Thanks for the sound advice.....