How Long Is CDL School (And Why)?

How Long Is CDL School (And Why)?

Exact Answer: 6 Months

CDL stands for Commercial truck Driver’s License. If a person wants to become a truck driver, this license is a required prerequisite. To get a truck driver’s license, the person would have to go to a trucking license school.

Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) is the central organization in the United States of America for regulating truck affairs. The requirement of a CDL is a must to drive trucks in the country.

A truck driver training school supplies aspiring truck drivers with all the resources they need to become skilled and confident drivers on the road. A truck driver needs to have a strong presence of mind and sound health.

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How Long Is CDL School?

The FMCSA has mandated the need for a CDL but has not specified a required period of truck driver training. The central association believes that the truck driving skill is more important than the time required to earn that skill. This has led to the rise of various truck driving schools with training periods ranging from a day to 6 months.

There are three types of Commercial truck Driver’s Licenses that a person can get based upon his needs. These licenses are classified as classes – class A, class B, and class C. Each of these has different requirements of training periods and different skills to acquire for.

Type of CDL TrainingTime Taken
CDL A training3 to 5 weeks
CDL B training1 to 2 weeks
CDL C training4 to 6 weeks

The CDL A training is the most simple form of truck driving training. It can range for a time anywhere between 3 to 5 weeks. Overall, it may need a person’s at least 40 hours to get this training certificate.

The CDL B training is required for driving heavy vehicles, especially those weighing above 26,000 lbs. Training for this license is less time-consuming and is inexpensive than training for a CDL-A type license. A person needs to be trained for two to three weeks to get this certificate.

If a driver wants to drive vehicles that carry 16 people or more than that, he would need to get a CDL C License. Training for such a license may require a period of 4 to 6 weeks.

Why Does CDL Training Take That Long?

Driving a truck is not an easy task. A truck can be as heavy as 15,000 lbs. Controlling such a heavy vehicle with additional loads requires adequate skills and knowledge acquired through special pieces of training.

The Commercial Truck Driver’s Training fulfills this condition. It gives licenses to all eligible and willing drivers who have voluntarily taken up the truck driving course and want to make a living out of it. However, the licenses can also be applied by any person who wants to drive trucks for thrill or passion.

Moreover, some vehicles which transport industrial goods may weigh as much as 27,000 lbs. This is a humongous amount of weight to carry on one truck by one person. This requires special training to get a truck driver’s license.

In contrast to this, if the person wants to drive a school bus, he may require the CDL C license to do so. It is legally required by the authorities that if the bus carries more than 16 persons, the driver has to have a CDL C certificate. In addition to this, such a driver would also need endorsements to get employed as a school bus driver.

The prospective truck drivers are trained to perform their duties in the harshest of terrains and conditions. Truck drivers are required to travel to far-flung areas continuously. Proper training helps them to train their minds in the same way.

Conclusion

Truck drivers are required to get a CDL license to drive trucks. A CDL A license is enough to drive regular and small or medium-sized trucks. While when driving a heavy vehicle, a driver must have a CDL B license, and to drive a school bus requires the driver to have a CDL C license.

A CDL license can only be acquired after the proper training and development of the prospective driver. It helps to train the mind accordingly and adapt to a suitable lifestyle.

References

  1. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/0001457596000139
  2. http://jcsm.aasm.org/doi/full/10.5664/jcsm.26865
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