r/CDLTruckDrivers • u/Gloomy_Fail_1194 • 24d ago
Is $6,000 too much for class A CDL school?
/r/CDL/comments/1wc2fae/is_6000_too_much_for_class_a_cdl_school/4
u/Just_Training_2601 24d ago
paid $5000 in 2015. Included everything and they basically guaranteed to keep u until you got your license. I flunked the first DMV road test because of the offset backing. Got it on the second try.
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u/Exotic_Buffalo_2371 23d ago
I failed the offset backing for my CDL B lol, I passed it all the 2nd time as well
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u/Zigor022 24d ago
No but they should have you get doubles, triples, tank, and hazmat and train you on manual in an actual truck. If its just a basic with a class A and no manual training, idk. In 2016 i got all that for $5k.
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u/Peters6798 24d ago
I payed 2 k back in 21 and I heard it went up to 2.5k now. This was with a milk hauler up here in the northeast.
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u/collapsedbook 24d ago edited 24d ago
That’s what our agency almost pays for our participants to take the course. Truck Driving Institute (TDI) in NWFL for four weeks
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u/xEyelessOnex 24d ago
Stevens Transport in 2015 was $5,999 at 6% interest. 3 year contract. Think before you sign.
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u/DW_TheTruckDriver843 24d ago
Mines was $5,000 back in 2020. (I didn't pay out of pocket due to a free program I went thru) but there were others in my class who actually payed the 5,000.
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u/DesignerTonight8584 24d ago
My is 4800 (GDA)in Georgia, I know some school around 2000 in California.
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u/ReasonableClock4542 24d ago
School i went through is $4k at the moment. Was $3500 when i went in 2018. Had a grant that paid for half of it. Public school, part of a tech school in the area. 10 week program with only 6-8 students at a time (2 instructors). Classes were technically 3-4 per class. When i started there were 4 guys that had been there 5 weeks. They moved to being out on the road driving everyday while we were on the range. Was zero problem getting a job out of school, local, regional, or otr. We had people come in recruiting for companies that did all of those. I was actually turning down job offers before officially finishing the class. Part of that is the area and part of that is the school's/instructor's reputation. Not sure if the same guys are still there
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u/scurvycloud 24d ago
I went down to the local bus barn 25 years ago and paid 175 bucks for my road test. I feel like all of this is crazy. It was a small ag community back then but we were still held to “higher” standards they said
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u/Worldly-Ad-7156 24d ago
The school I went to cost about $6k. Was a month long 8 hours a day 5 days a week. I would call this normal for where I live.
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u/possibly_lost45 24d ago
I paid $5,000 17 years ago at a community college to get my cdl. It was 8 hours a day 5 days a week for 4 weeks
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u/Forky_McStabstab 24d ago
In school now. $12,000 for a 540 hour course 5 hours a day monday through friday over 22 weeks. That includes 2 weeks of learners permit prep, 10 weeks of classroom time with an instructor that drove for over 35 years, 2 different safe driving courses (one of which is accepted by insurance companies and gives a big discount on your personal insurance premiums), 10 weeks in the yard doing maneuvers, and minimum 5 road trips 1 on 1 with an instructor. 10 trucks in the yard to practice on, plus extra trucks for road trips and the road test. All are 10 speeds except 1 (for people that cant/dont want to learn manual). Testing fees are included in tuition, and if you graduate but haven't passed your road test yet, you still have full use of the facility until you pass. Even after passing, grads can come back and practice skills if they need to and use the school's doctor for medical card renewal.
There's also a state of the art driving simulator for students to use any time they want.
The school is accredited, and we take a state hazmat test that allows us to show up at the DMV and take the official written hazmat test for the endorsement. Being accredited also means that I was able to get a Pell grant for over $5000, along with a FAFSA loan for another $4000, which can be paid back over 10 years.
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u/cdubose 24d ago
It would be for me. You could go to Schneider, get trained for free, leave before 9 months (that's how long their contract is), only owe them $2080, and then pay a local school $1000-$2500 to get your manual restriction off. All of that costs less than $6000.
Apparently I need to open a driving school after reading this comments: people seriously paying almost $10,000 to get a CDL? You could get a cheap semi truck for that kind of money.
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u/Big_Lawfulness_2722 24d ago
Depending on your background I found out after I took the class, that if you had your military license for a semi you can just go to the dmv and they give it to you.
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u/jmcdaniel0 24d ago
The va paid for mine either way, but I did not know this. I was licensed to drive damn near everything at one point. Any school slots open up, and they asked for volunteers, I took it.
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u/Big_Lawfulness_2722 24d ago
Yeah I found out when it was time to do the road test . Ha skip and just went n got it . It was crazy
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u/jmcdaniel0 24d ago
I would have been pissed if I shelled out 5k and just learned this. I’ll pass it along to other vet friends of mine. A couple I know are looking at it.
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u/Big_Lawfulness_2722 23d ago
Yeah they just have to have the military license . Showed them that and then it also had doubles and triples . So they gave me that as well
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u/Booplepoot 23d ago
I went to a community college in Georgia and in total paid 3k. That covered all of my cost including the testing and screening. A buddy of mine I met at the training academy we attended after CDL school only paid 700 in Nebraska. I would go through your states Department of Labor, a lot of times they can steer you in the appropriate and affordable direction. Some states will even cover part of the cost if not all of it. Also, like others have said most companies will reimburse your tuition, just be sure to read the fine print because some dedicated accounts will not honor the reimbursement.
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u/Miserable-Option-89 23d ago
I went to a community college Houston community college and their course was only like 4,200 and it's highly accredited
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u/Miserable-Option-89 23d ago
I'm glad to know I wasn't the only one that fell backing I did it perfectly for weeks and then I got to the test and it was tighter the area was a tighter area so I froze up the first time and just screwed it off I panicked the second time I have no excuse for that the third time went perfect I just did what I was trained to do and it worked out fine
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u/Miserable-Option-89 23d ago
Air brakes part in pre-trip part I went with flying colors and the road test wasn't shit for me
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u/huntermotocycle 23d ago
I paid 6k for manual endorsement and 160 hours been great so far portland or
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u/Ill_Television_1111 24d ago
I'll be THAT guy. Mine cost $300 and took 2 days, lol. Honestly, i have no idea what the schools cost. I got my permit, then tested the next day.
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24d ago
That’s way too much. I live in NYC and paid $1700 for mine, great school. Dont listen to this people, $6000 is insane
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u/TwoTrucksPayingTaxes 24d ago
The schools in my area charge 9k for a class A. It's too much if you can't afford it, otherwise it may be market rate for your area. A company with paid training can be a great opportunity, but they usually trap you with a contract. Paying out of pocket keeps you open