With massive shortages of licensed commercial drivers across pretty much all industries, from trucking to school bus driving, a lot of people are looking into taking CDL classes. You can’t become a commercial driver without a Commercial Driver’s License, but once a person has one, making a move into driving as a career becomes relatively easy.
Unfortunately, when people google something like ‘what to expect at truck driving school’ they’re likely to come across some worrying misinformation – like saying you shouldn’t expect to get actual driving experience when taking CDL classes. Far too many articles claim you should only look at driving school as a way of getting your license and wait to get on-road experience once getting hired somewhere.
This is only true of mediocre truck driving schools. The best schools balance classroom learning and actual hands-on experience. If you want to have the best shot at getting a great job, you want a truck driving school that goes beyond mere CDL classes.
Why You Should Attend a Comprehensive Truck Driving School
1 – Better experience brings better jobs
This is just common sense. Companies are going to be most excited about hiring drivers who already have experience in real-world work conditions. Sure, most shipping companies are desperate for drivers and willing to offer training, but if someone walks in their door having trained in a real-world environment, hauling loaded trailers and learning to shift in a truck not a simulator, that person is going to get priority.
2 – “Free training” has its own cost
Some shipping companies will openly say “why pay for truck driving school when we’ll pay you to train?” Well, as the saying goes, there’s no such thing as a free lunch. When you sign up with one of these all-training-paid companies, you’ll also be putting yourself in a multi-year contract, and possibly one with reduced wages to offset the training and insurance costs. You’ll be locked into working for that company, for good or ill, for years to come.
3 – Great driving schools are magnets for recruiters
Industry recruiters know which driving schools produce the best drivers – and they preferentially go there for new hires. The right driving school has all the contacts needed to get you great jobs as soon as you graduate, and jobs with much more reasonable contract terms than those you’d get from ‘free training’ companies.
Learn About Our Ontario Trucking School
Since 1985, 5th Wheel Training Institute has been one of Canada’s premier truck driving schools, with extensive training grounds and facilities that give you actual real-world experience. Contact us to learn more!
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