What Are Some Alternative Ways To Get A CDL?

So there are A LOT of jobs out there for CDL work, not all of it long haul trucking. Any search on craigslist will yield pages upon pages of companies looking for drivers to drive small trucks and even people (usually elderly) to and fro. I suspect it is hard for these companies to find people to hire because of what it takes to get a CDL, and most who get it are working in trucking. But these companies must have employees, and they must have obtained their CDL in ways other than going through a company training program. So what are some alternative ways, besides thousands of dollars of school or signing a long haul contract with a major company in exchange for the training, to obtain a CDL license for these smaller, local, non-big-rig transport jobs.

To be honest, any job that doesn't require you to have legitimate, verifiable CDL training isn't going to pay anything worthwhile. Salary comes down to supply and demand, right? If there's a large supply of people who can do a job then the salary is low, and vice versa. So if any knucklehead can do a particular job then it doesn't pay squat.

You can get your CDL on your own if you like but it's probably going to be a waste of time. You can pass all of the written tests for the CDL permit and endorsements by using our High Road Training Program. You study our program and then go to the DMV to take the tests.

Once you have your permit you would have to find a way to get some time behind the wheel to learn shifting, backing, and of course road driving. There are probably ads on Craigslist for people that provide trucks you can rent by the hour. Some of them would be truck rental places, others would likely be Owner Operators looking to make a few extra bucks. The problem is that you'll need someone with an actual CDL to ride along with you since you only have a permit. So not only will you have to rent a truck, but you'll have to pay a trainer also.

If you want to make a serious career out of driving commercial vehicles you're going to want to go through legitimate schooling. If you're just looking for any ordinary job like shuttling people around or delivering donuts to convenient stores you can probably land those without a CDL or by getting your CDL on your own. But be aware of the fact that if you do decide to step up into big rigs at some point you're almost certainly going to have to go through the schooling anyhow because none of those jobs would count as commercial driving experience. You either need a certain amount of verifiable OTR Class A driving experience or a certificate of completion from a legitimate truck driving school to land a job with a major trucking company.