How Important Is It To Get 160 Hours Of CDL Training?

I'm considering a private truck driving school in the Los Angeles area that tailors the learning experience to the student with one-on-one instruction. Their prices vary and one of the most expensive is less than half of what other private schools are offering. I asked why this might be and the answer is that they tailor the course to what the student needs, not the 160 hours that are often the case. They mentioned that the DMV doesn't care about the 160 hours and they don't deal with Werner and one other company that does want the 160 hours. How important is the 160 hours? Thanks, Mark

It's actually pretty important when it comes to having options for job opportunities. The main purpose of going to a private school is to have better options upon graduation. But if you go to a school that doesn't give you 160 hours of training, most of the major companies won't hire from that school and there goes most of your options down the drain.

Now if you were already lined up for a job somewhere and they told you to get your CDL but didn't care about the training, it wouldn't matter. But major companies do care about the training.

If I were you I would make sure you attend a school whose students get hired by major companies like Swift, Werner, Prime, Schneider, etc. Not every major company has to hire from a particular school, but a nice list of them should.

What I did, which may be helpful to you, is just find a company I want to work for and talk to the recruiter about which schools are good choices. I was informed that as a Michigan resident I would be good if I went to any state certified school with at least 140 hours of instruction. For Michigan i was able to find this official list of state certified CDL schools on the michigan.gov website. Hopefully there is something like that for California as well. Then I just started calling the schools that were reasonably close to me and comparing prices and scheduling until I found a program that worked for me. I couldn't be happier with the choice I made, I hope you find a good one as well. Good luck.

They're right. A faster education isn't always better. Don't rush it man.

They're right. A faster education isn't always better. Don't rush it man.

That being said, I was able to find a school that let me go long hours monday-saturday so I was able to get through it quickly based on the calendar but still have a lot of hours logged. If time is important to you (or if you are currently unemployed) finding a school like that might be a good option.

Sorry to double post but I just thought of something else. I studied the High Road Training Program and had my permit before I started school. This gave me more time on the range and on the road and less time sitting in a classroom. I'd suggest you do the same if the school is flexible with getting you on the road and doesn't make you sit around learning what you already know from the permit testing.