Looking to
become a truck driver? If so, right now is a perfect time to start your new career. As of August 2014, there's over
30,000 open trucking jobs in the United States alone. There's never been a better time to start your career as a truck driver. Trucking companies are paying more money, offering more benefits and proving better sign-on bonuses. Right now is a great time to get into the trucking industry.
Obtain Your CDL Permit
If you're considering becoming a truck driver, you're going to need your commercial drivers license. First, you'll need your
CDL permit. Once you get your
CDL permit, you'll be able to go for your CDL training. You can get your
CDL training through truck driving school or
company-sponsored CDL training.
CDL Training
Truck driving school can cost a lot of money.
Trucking schools can cost upward of $5,000 or more. For someone entering the workforce at any age, this can be tough to obtain. Financial aid is out there to help you with truck driving school cost. There's even scholarships for
CDL training. You'll need to research your options and see which path is best for you.
CDL Test
Once you have your
CDL training under your best, you'll be ready to take your
commercial drivers test. There's two separate parts of your CDL test, the
pre-trip inspection and the actual
drivers test. The pre-trip inspection process consist of knowing your tractor-trailer. You'll be asked numerous questions, such as "where is your light" or "honk the horn."
The second part of your CDL test is the
driving exam. You'll be required to drive your rig, park your truck, shift gears and even parallel parking. Rely on the skills you learned in CDL training and you'll do just fine.
Local DMV
You'll be able to get your CDL permit and CDL at your
local DMV. Each state and DMV has different CDL test. You'll be able to get a
CDL manual to study for your permit test.
