Attending a truck driving school is the pre-requisite for those wishing to gain entry into the transport industry in the United States. This industry is one of the largest in the country and it is little wonder when you realise that nearly all freight that is moved throughout the country will at some stage spend time on the back of a truck. The US Dept of Labor estimates that in any one year 400,000 new drivers are required to fill the vacancies left by drivers either leaving the industry or retiring. This is an enormous number of people that more than likely will have to attend a truck driving school in order to obtain their CDL, and at present just over 300,000 are being provided as new recruits.

Choosing to become a truck driver is to be commended. It is a hard life, but very rewarding as you pass each milestone in your apprenticeship. It should never be taken lightly because driving these huge rigs is a big responsibility as any trucker will tell you. Safety is an issue that will not be neglected in the PTDI accredited truck driving schools. They impress very strongly on young novice drivers safety issues and during your examination this is one of the first issues you will be required to pass. Safety of yourself and your fellow road travellers is an essential ingredient that is required in making a professional truck driver.

The free schools provide you just enough training to be able to operate the truck and might not get similar the in-depth understanding and knowledge as the paid training. The companies that sponsored these schools might absorb you and that too at a lower scale pay than the regular one. However, there is nothing “free” in this world and everything comes at a price. Therefore, the so called free truck driving schools are not really free, however, their fees are so less compared to the approved schools that they can be considered as free.

The commercial trucks are huge, gigantic vehicles and one equals a number of cars. Therefore, the driving, manoeuvring and parking of these vehicles is not easy. So, you would need proper training from specialised schools which are expensive. So, in order to meet the demand for qualified drivers, a number of free driving schools have come up. Moreover, you need to know more of these “Free truck driving schools” and the actual realities.

On the average, a truck driver with 6 months experience can make $35,000 annually, and tractor-trailer drivers make even more. This is the reason why truck driving schools have sprung up like mushrooms to accommodate people who want to get their commercial driver’s license or CDL (required to drive trucks, tractors and buses) pronto. A good trucking school will provide a student with a good, solid, basic knowledge of rules and regulations of trucking, avoidance of truck accidents, maneuvering, emergency procedures and other realities of the “big rig” world. Shoddy ones will just provide you with the reality of a slick scam, some posing as free truck driving schools.

It is considered that the annual average earnings of a truck driver amount to $35,000, while drivers of tractors/trailers earn even more (considering a 6-months experience). Moreover, to be a driver, you need a commercial driver’s license/CDL which can be obtained after an exam (written and road). Therefore, to cater to the needs for tuition classes, a number of truck driving schools have come up. Although, not all are reputed and certified and the training obtained can be useless. Good ones help you to get a clear understanding of the driving rules and regulations, how to handle road emergencies; avoid accidents and other main considerations for handling theses trucks. However, the above schools are costly. Hence, free truck driving schools can be the solution.

Since, the reputed driving schools have high fees not affordable by many. Therefore, the options available are to take a loan either from the school itself (interest rates high) or from outside (like banks with lower interest rates) and repay the loan while earning. Yet another option is to join a free truck driving school, like the Roehl Honor Program, that provides free training programs without any conditions for honourably discharged military personnel.

There are some free truck driving schools sponsored by some companies on a condition that you join them after completing the course. However, the pay is less (generally based on cents-per-mile) than those who graduate out of those paid driving schools. Hence, it might be a better to join the approved truck schools with fees as high as $3,500 and get a higher pay.

Another alternative for the financially challenged are community college based programs. While not exactly free truck driving schools, most community colleges provide the necessary vocational education needed for qualifying for a professional CDL at a fraction of the tuition of a private truck driving school.

One solution for those that can’t afford at the time the fees is the community college programs. These aren’t what you can call a free truck driving school but in their trainings you can find guidance and education for obtaining a professional CDL permit. Also the tuition is much lower than in truck driving schools.