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How to Find A Great Trucking School
Truck driving is an occupation often taken for granted. Living in a society where everything is available to us instantly, we don't often think about how our products reach the stores. Nonetheless, these drivers are crucial to making our society work the way it does. Because this is a profession with a high turnover, truck drivers must possess specific qualities that will allow them to be successful in this field. While enjoying the life on the road, a truck driver must have a sense of responsibility, be alert, able to work alone, and have an incredible driving record. In addition, a truck driver must have customer service skills, be mechanical and know maintenance of trucks, have physical stamina, be punctual, and have great stress management skills. All these characteristics and skills will make for a great and successful truck driver.
After understanding the basic personality traits needed for this profession, the best way to get a career started is to go to a truck driving school. There are countless options for schools in regards to time, costs, and locations. In order to find a school that best suits your needs and requirements, one must do some research about the schools in your area. A good way to start is on the internet. Search engines will quickly and easily list schools in your state and town. Each truck driving school company will list its prices and times and locations of classes, making it simple to decide which school and company is best. A lot of schools will pay for the classes or compensate for the charges after employment. Another way to find truck driving schools in your area is to look through the yellow pages, magazines or other publications, on truck driver training equipment (often training information will be on truck company equipment), or go to your local workforce service location. Workforce service locations are often the least used resource, even though it is the most successful way to find a quality truck driving school.
After finding a school in your area that fits your personal specifications, it is important to check the school's credentials. Due to the fact every state has a different standard to issuing driver's licenses, especially for Commercial Driver's Licenses (CDL), your school should at least meet the minimum requirements for the state in which you reside. One important factor when choosing a school is making sure it is accredited by the Professional Truck Driver Institute (PTDI) to make sure it is a reputable school. Some characteristics of a school that you should consider when choosing the school is how much one-on-one instruction is available, the time spent driving, the quality of equipment, the type of instruction, and how much job placement assistance is available. It should be noted that financial aid and scholarships are available at some schools as well if you need assistance financially by looking through The Truckload Carriers Association Scholarships website.
Listed here are some of the top ten truck driving companies that offer training courses for new truck drivers. It should be noted that these schools and companies are not available in all states, so it is important to do some research on the schools available in your area:
- American Institute of Technology (AIT)
- Located in several cities including Las Vegas, Pheonix, Fontana, and Gardena
- Coastal Truck Driving School
- Franklin College Truck Driving School
- Located in Kentucky, Missouri, Illinois and Mississippi
- CCS Truck Driver Training
- Classes start every two weeks
- Driver's Solutions
- sponsored by some of the largest trucking companies in the US
- United States Truck Driving School*Located throughout the Midwest
- West Pacific Truck Driving School-- Professional commercial driving school with locations in California, Oregon and Washington
- PIA Trucking Program-- Commercial driver school with locations in Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Ohio
- New Directions*Multiple locations throughout the US
- All Professional Driving School*Specialists in driver training for license classes C through MC