Your Guide to Beginner Truck Driver Questions

Beginner truck driver questions. Everyone has them, but who has the answers? Have you been thinking about switching jobs and going into truck driving? Do you find yourself googling ‘beginner truck driver questions’, trying to figure out if this is the right career for you? Looking into a new industry can always be overwhelming at first, but don’t worry. This beginner’s guide will help you learn everything there is to know about getting started as a truck driver.

Your Beginner Truck Driver Questions, Answered

1.What is a CDL and why do I need one?

A normal driver’s license doesn’t allow you to drive any vehicle, which is why you need a commercial driver’s license, or CDL. This is necessary to keep you and other drivers safe on the road at all times. While there are several different truck classifications, there are only three different classifications of CDLs: A, B, and C. Each classification allows the driver to take different routes and jobs and has different requirements to obtain. 

Class A CDLs are the most versatile of all the options, as it allows you to drive a truck with two or more axles, and makes you capable of towing a trailer with a Gross Vehicle Weight Rating, or GVWR, of 10k pounds and higher. This is also the only license that allows you to drive across state lines with large cargo, such as a semi-tractor and trailer.

A Class B CDL is similar, but it only allows the driver to operate a vehicle with a GVWR of 26,000, and any vehicle towing another vehicle under 10k pounds. Class B CDLs are also restricted to the state it was issued in, making it great for professional drivers that are more interested in a regional career, such as driving busses, delivery trucks, tour buses, and more.

Class C CDLs allow you to drive vehicles that transport 16 or more passengers, including the driver. This license is popular for those that have a particular need for a CDL, such as a shuttle driver, as it’s the least versatile option available.

2.What are the steps you have to take to become a truck driver?

On average it can take seven weeks to become a truck driver, but with Truck Driver Institute, you can get your CDL license in just three weeks. This includes studying and taking your permit test, logging hours on our driving range and on the road, and taking the test for your CDL. 

After that, it’s just about getting a job, which the Truck Driver Institute also helps with. We work with our students to find work that fits their needs. That’s one of the reasons we have an 86% success rate in placing students with some of the best companies in the nation after graduation.

3.What are the benefits of truck driving?

There are numerous benefits to becoming a truck driver. People become truck drivers for many different reasons, including the freedom of being on the road. However, another perk of this industry is financial security. Many commercial drivers are paid by the mile, and TDI graduates can start out by making $0.35 to $0.60 per mile, which means you start at around $55,000 to $80,000 a year by driving 3,000 miles a week. Experienced truck drivers and those that switch to private fleets can make even more.  

As major industries increase benefits and raise salaries to attract more drivers, you have nowhere to go but up from this number, as the National Transportation Institute notes that higher pay is a trend likely to continue.  Truck Driver Institute works with students on job placement, working with carriers who offer benefits including medical insurance, 401ks, and tuition reimbursement.

Another benefit of becoming a truck driver is the stability of the job.  There is a serious demand for truck drivers right now, and the industry is booming, making it the perfect time to join this workforce. While other industries have wavered in the past several years, trucking has continued to offer job security and stability for thousands of workers. Over time, you can even work for yourself in the exciting career of owner-operating, or freelance trucking.

4.Why go to truck driving school?

Truck driving schools are a great way to learn everything you need to know about trucking. With all our instructors having been drivers themselves, they can answer all your beginner truck driving questions and offer advice on anything from the permit test to what to pack for your first overnighter. Driving schools also take care of the paperwork, setting up the permit and driving test, making sure there are vehicles to practice on, and job placement assistance.

At Truck Driver Institute, you can go through classroom instruction, hands-on training within the safety of an off-road driving range, and on the road driving instruction in up-to-date vehicles. We don’t use stimulators because we don’t need to, and we even have approved, third-party examiners at most of our campuses. Through our affordable, immersive instructional program, in just 15 days you can become a TDI graduate. This means you will leave our school with a commercial driver’s license, a diploma, and job opportunities with good pay and benefits for you and your family.  

5.I have a record, can I still become a driver?

Short answer: Yes, you can!

No matter what your background or experience, Truck Driver Institute can help you get a job. We have helped those with driving records, criminal records, DUIs, bad credit, and no diploma find work with great pay as a truck driver in the past year alone. Our three week program allows you to maximize your earning potential, and we can work with you to make work for you.

Have More Beginning Truck Driver Questions?

If you have more beginner truck driver questions, don’t be shy. There’s an exciting career in the truck driving industry just waiting for you, and Truck Driver Institute can help at one of our many all-inclusive campuses around the country.

 For more information, contact us today!