Choosing the Best CDL School: Essential Criteria

Getting your CDL is one of the best decisions you'll ever make. It will open up several career paths and tons of other benefits that can change your life forever. However, it's not as easy as just looking up the nearest CDL school and starting the program.

You want to get your CDL education, and license, from the best school possible. It will allow you to make a better impression on higher-paying employers, help you negotiate better salaries right from the start, and more. You don't want to go to a low-quality school that just does the bare minimum.

Since picking the best CDL training schools is such a difficult decision, we've put together this list of essential criteria for you to look for while you're researching schools near you.

Let's get right into the criteria!

 

1: Low Teacher-to-Student Ratio

 

Whether you're paying for your education, or it's part of a work-for-training program, you don't want to waste the opportunity. CDL school isn't cheap, and once you're licensed, you don't want to show up to a job with subpar skills. That's a horrible way to start an amazing career.

An optimal ratio is one instructor to every 4 or 5 students. Large classes tend to have too many people to teach and cover things in detail, and it impacts your overall experience.

Of course, with the rise of the internet and several other technologies, some schools have taken a dual approach that heavily leverages the online world to handle things that don't need to be done behind the wheel. Don't write those off just because you don't see the class sizes. You can often get valuable 1-on-1 teaching.

 

2: Instructor Experience

 

It's one thing to have a great teacher, but having a true mentor takes things to a whole new level.

Best CDL training schoolsneed to have instructors with years of experience on the road with the trucks you'll be driving, who know the little tips and tricks that can elevate you above the rest of the field. They're the best to learn from.

 

3: Cost, Location, and Availability

 

This is the unfortunate part about CDL schools. You might research one and find out that it's across the country, is way over your budget, and there aren't any guarantees you'll get in.

You need to focus on the cost and location part of that. Even if there aren't a lot of openings, you can always get put on a list and get in with a reasonable amount of effort.

You want a CDL school that you'll be able to reliably drive to without uprooting your life, and if you have to pay for it, it needs to fall within your budget for financing or whatever payment method you can leverage.

Even if you find a school that seems like the best CDL training school for you under certain circumstances, it doesn't help if it's across the country and costs too much.

 

4: Help with Landing a Job

 

One of the biggest complaints with other types of programs, such as college, is that it's hard to find a job after you graduate. Well, that's not a problem with a CDL. Good CDL schools will help you find a job once you get your license and complete the program.

This can be done via programs directly with employers, job boards that you gain exclusive access to, and more. However it's done, you want to make sure that the school you go to will help you find a suitable job almost immediately after you get your license. Time is money, and you can't afford to wait once you have your license.

 

5: Speed of Licensing

 

You can't rush education too much, but you also don't want to waste a ton of time trying to get your CDL. The more time you spend, the less time you spend making money.

On average, getting your CDL can take between 3 weeks and 6 months. Both are rather extreme ends of the spectrum, but you should try to get it as close to the one-month mark without sacrificing the quality of your education.

 

6: Student Satisfaction and Long-Term Support

 

CDL schools should stay in touch with you after you've started your career to see how you're doing and if there's anything you need to work on. They should also produce a high success rate for their students.

Now, not everyone is going to succeed. That's just the reality of any education program, but the school should have a great track record with a majority of their students moving on to long and fruitful careers.

 

7: What Licenses Does the School Have?

 

Finally, and most importantly, you need to see how the school is licensed and certified.

As a bare minimum, the school should be certified by your state's Department of Motor Vehicles or Department of Education. That's the official license that's required, and if the “CDL school” you're going to doesn't have that, then it's not going to look good when you start looking for jobs.

However, you can take it a step further. Remember how we said that the better the school is, the easier it will be to find a great job and negotiate a high salary? Well, a big part of that has to do with secondary certifications.

These are certifications that the school has from being aligned with and approved by high-profile organizations.

This looks better on your resume because the secondary certifications often have higher standards of excellence than the state's licensing program. This means that you're being taught by instructors who have already gone above and beyond, and they know how to get the job done right. You're also more likely to get on the road and perform well. That leads to higher earnings, and it's a lot safer for you and everyone on the roadway.

 

Get Your CDL with AAA CDL School

 

If you're in the Houston area and want to start the exciting journey to becoming a truck driver, AAA CDL School is the right choice for you.

We fit all the criteria for the best CDL training schools in the area, combining free online CDL training courses with 1-on-1 driving lessons to create a fast, efficient, program that is known for making successful drivers. We even help you get a job after you get your license.

If that sounds like a fair deal and you'd like to partake in the best CDL courses in Houston, contact us today.