How to Become a Truck Driver

Get On the Road in Only 11 Steps

Get On the Road in Only 11 Steps

In this guide, Class A Drivers walks you through everything you need to do to become a truck driver.

  1. Decide If Truck Driving is the Correct Career Path

  2. Fit the CDL Requirements

  3. Choose the CDL Classification You Need

  4. Choose How to Get Your CDL

  5. Get your DOT Physical

  6. Decide How You Will Pay for Truck Driving School

  7. Choose a Trucking School

  8. Pass CDL Written Test

  9. Pass Pre-Trip Inspection Test

  10. Pass CDL Driving Skills Test

  11. Get Hired and Tackle Your First Year

     

 

 How to Become a Truck Driver

 

The young woman in the photo above is April Halter. While she may not look like a “typical truck driver,” she has been driving a truck for a few years with her husband Matthew. She’s found truck driving to be a perfect fit for her lifestyle, and she’s made some good money doing it too.

Truck driving can be a well-paying and fulfilling career, and with the right schooling, you can be on the road in just 3-6 weeks.  Because driving an 80,000 pound rig is a great responsibility, trucking is one of the most regulated industries in the US. So if you make a wrong turn, that could have severe consequences for your employment potential.

Truck drivers are required to:

  • Get the proper training.
  • Obtain a special license.
  • Be physically and mentally able to drive an 18-wheeler.

With this guide, we take you through 11 easy-to-follow steps and tell you exactly what you need to do to get your Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) and start getting paid to command the wheel of a truck.

 

The most important part of this process (and why we put it first) is to determine you actually want to become a truck driver. This unique career requires a special dedication and specific personality, so take the first step and read the first chapter of our guide.