So you want to be a truck driver. The smell of diesel fuel, the open road, and driving big rigs has gotten in your blood. Only one thing stands between you and living your dream. Somehow you must earn your Commercial Driver License (CDL).
To move forward with your dream, you should find a good CDL school. You’ll need a training facility that will not only prepare you to pass your test, but to actually teach you how to drive that big truck out on the highways of America. There are tons of choices out there, some good and some, well…
You have your dream riding on the school choice you make. So what’s a future truck driver like you supposed to do? Here are some tips that will help you make the right decision for you, your family and your dream.
Time Behind the Wheel. Here’s the thing. Truck driving—and learning to drive one—is a hand’s on endeavor. You can’t learn to drive a truck by attending a theory class. You actually have to drive the truck. You’ll want to choose a school that will give you lots of time behind the wheel.
Student/Teacher Ratio. Let’s face it. It’s just not possible to learn quickly if you are one of fifteen students that instructor has to teach. The lower the student/instructor ratio, the better off you’ll be. For example, at Prime the ratio is 1/1. Each student gets their own individual instructor for their CDL training. That student gets the undivided attention of that teacher for the few weeks it takes to prepare to pass their CDL test. They learn much quicker, and many times pass their test on the first attempt.
Real World Experience. Working on driving ranges and training pads are useful. They help students learn to operate a truck without worrying about hitting cars in traffic. True enough but at some point that student has to get out into the street and actually drive the truck. You’ll want a school that teaches you to drive in the real world. After all, trucks rarely deliver goods on a driving pad. They deliver in the real world. Students learn quicker and are better drivers when they learn in the real world.
Equipment and Technology. In this day and time, you want to choose a school that has modern equipment. It’s safe, works properly and creates a positive learning environment. And what about the training when you’re not in the truck? Does the school have simulators that will allow you to learn to shift, double clutch or maneuver a trailer before you get into one? It should. That’s critical to your learning experience, particularly if you want to do it right.
Driving a truck takes time, skilled instruction and state-of-the-art equipment to give you the best opportunity for success in that dream of yours. You want to choose the best CDL school right out of the gate.
I believe Prime has the best CDL training program out there. I say that not because I’m a CDL Instructor. I’m a Prime CDL Instructor because I can say that I’m also a graduate from our CDL training program. I got the best training I could hope for. You can too.
Whether you choose Prime or another CDL school, make sure you do your homework. Research it. Ask tough questions. After all, your dream is too important to choose the wrong school.
Live your dream!
Written by Reba J. Hoffman
Reba J. Hoffman joined Prime in 2014 after spending a year riding her bicycle alone around the country helping women victims of violent assault. A therapist by trade, Reba uses her understanding of people and how they tick to help them live their dream of being a trucker by serving as a CDL Instructor. When out of her truck, you’ll find her somewhere in the wilds of nature.
