Best CDL Training in North Carolina

North Carolina is the perfect starting point for anyone looking to begin their career as a CDL holder and truck driver. Entering a booming industry has never been so easy. Let’s take a look at CDL training in North Carolina and take advantage of the training programs that many schools offer and begin your career today!  

Quicklook: Best CDL Training Programs in North Carolina

• 160 Driving Academy
• Roadmaster Drivers School
• Carolina Trucking Academy
• Caldwell Community College 
• Miller-Motte CDL Training

Best CDL Training Programs in North Carolina

Now that you’ve heard all about the top trucking companies in North Carolina, let’s take a look at the best CDL training programs in the state. 

160 Driving Academy

With multiple locations across the country, 160 Driving Academy offers affordable prices and will set you up for success. 

Cost: 

• $3,900

Program Length: 

• Four weeks

Financial Assistance: 

• Scholarships
• VA benefits

Tuition Reimbursement: 160 Driving Academy has a fluctuation of sponsors that are constantly changing, but there will always be at least two to four companies available as long as you are qualified. Here are a couple of examples of companies that could potentially be your sponsor! 

• Covenant
• Pam Transport 
• Werner

Class Size: 

• Small class sizes
• Number of students is not listed

Job Placement: 160 Driving Academy will set up qualified candidates with companies that can sponsor them at the end of the training process. 

Online Course: 

• None available

CDL Licenses: 

• Class A

Roadmaster Drivers School

Roadmaster Drivers School is known as one of the best nationwide trainers for CDL drivers. Over the course of nearly thirty years, Roadmaster Drivers School has set up over 150,000 graduates for success. 

Cost: 

• Anywhere from $2,500 to $11,000 
• Dependent upon your financial aid 

Program Length: 

• Four weeks

Financial Assistance: 

• Scholarships
• Grants
• VA benefits

Tuition Reimbursement: 

• Werner
• U.S. Express
• Covenant Transport
• May Trucking Company
• Stevens Transport 

Class Size: 

• Not Listed

Job Placement: 

• On-site 

Online Course: 

• Yes

CDL Licenses: 

• Class A 

Carolina Trucking Academy

Carolina Trucking Academy has partnerships with some big names such as Coca-Cola and WM. They take your qualifications and skillsets that stick out during training and pair you with the best company for you. 

Cost: 

• Anywhere from $2,500 to $5,000
• Dependent upon your financial aid

Program Length: 

• Four weeks of week day training
• 16 weekends on Saturdays only

Financial Assistance: 

• VA benefits

Tuition Reimbursement: It does not appear that Carolina Trucking Academy offers a tuition reimbursement program, but the company does have partnerships with large companies such as Coca-Cola and WM which can help set you up with a job.

Class Size: 

• Unlisted

Job Placement: 

• Yes

Online Course: 

• Yes

CDL Licenses: 

• Class A 
• Class C

Caldwell Community College 

Started in 1990, Caldwell Community College has graduated over 2,000 CDL drivers. This community college is a well-staffed technical institute that offers the steps necessary to make sure you are set up for success. The CDL course is divided into three parts which can be taken during the day or night.

Cost: 

• $1,877

Program Length: 

• Nine weeks of full-time day classes
• 15 weeks of part-time evening classes

Financial Assistance: 

• Scholarships
• Grants
• VA benefits
• ESC
• TAA
• WIA

Tuition Reimbursement: 

• None

Class Size: 

• Varies depending on program length

Job Placement: 

• Yes

Online Course: 

• Yes

CDL Licenses: 

• Class A

Miller-Motte CDL Training

Miller-Motte CDL Training has three locations in North Carolina. You can pursue training for a Class A tractor license from Miller-Motte College as well. 

Cost: 

• $4,500

Program Length: 

• Four weeks

Financial Assistance: 

• Scholarships
• Grants

Tuition Reimbursement:

• None available 

Class Size: 

• Varies per class cycle
• Classes begin every five weeks

Job Placement: 

• Yes

Online Course: 

• Yes

CDL Licenses: 

• Class A 

How Does CDL Training in North Carolina Work?

Often referred to as a CDL, a Commercial Driver’s License is exactly what you need if you want to become a driver and work in professional environments. There are three different types of CDLs, but the vehicle that you intend to drive will determine which CDL you’ll need to obtain. 

A Class A CDL will allow you to drive vehicles and trailers with a combined weight of more than 26,000 pounds. A Class B CDL makes it possible for you to drive single vehicles that weigh more than 26,000 pounds alone. 

You can also tow vehicles that are under 10,000 lbs. Lastly, a Class C CDL will allow you to drive transport vehicles filled with 16 or more passengers, the driver included. Plus, you’ll need a Class C CDL if you plan to transport hazardous materials. 

In North Carolina, many jobs require a CDL. These jobs could be anything from a dedicated route driver to a standard delivery driver. If you have a Class A CDL, you will open more doors and be able to access more opportunities than with a Class B or Class C CDL. In fact, according to ZipRecruiter, a Class A CDL driver can earn anywhere from $31 to $61k per year, and that’s before bonuses or promotions.  

North Carolina Trucking School Facts & Figures

North Carolina is certainly a highly profitable trucking location with all of the learning and job opportunities available for people. Here are some statistics to help you along the process. 

Number of Schools

There are plenty of opportunities around North Carolina when it comes to CDL training programs. In fact, there are 45 schools in North Carolina that are officially licensed and accredited, meaning you can take courses at any of them to become a truck driver. They are fairly spread out across the state, though a majority of them are located in and around Greensboro and Raleigh. 

Number of Students Per Class

Most truck driving schools in North Carolina try to keep class sizes small. This ultimately increases the interactions that students have with their instructors and allows for a more detailed learning experience. For example, Trans-Tech keeps their classes small with only four students per class. 

Tuition Rates

In North Carolina, tuition rates cost an average of $3,889. Some schools offer discounts for in-state residents, but you will be expected to pay for books, testing materials, and additional tests if needed as well as drug tests and the license itself. 

Tuition rates will also fluctuate in relation to the length of the course. Generally, the shorter the length of the class, the more expensive the class will be. 

Average Loan Amount

In North Carolina, the average CDL training student will graduate school or finish their courses with a student loan amount of $6,098 on average. This value is a lot lower than the student loan debt of people in other industries, making truck driving a very appealing career. 

Scholarship

Since the road to becoming a truck driver is different from standard college courses and the traditional collegiate experience, there are not as many scholarship opportunities available to truck driving school students. Normally, a student will only receive around $724 in scholarship money. 

Financial aid is available for veterans, but the majority of the help comes directly from companies. If you find the right company, they will sponsor you throughout your training as long as you agree to work for them once you complete your training. This is a great benefit because you’ll have the comfort of already having a job as soon as you finish school. 

Job Placement

As of May 2020, there were over 100,000 people employed as transportation and material moving professionals. These numbers can only have grown since then as the abundance of truck driving jobs available for CDL holders has increased. 

North Carolina Truck Driving Employment Facts & Figures

Now that you know a bit more about the school process, here is what the job market looks like for truck drivers. 

Employment 

In 2018, the North Carolina Trucking Association released a sheet of trucking fast facts that stated there were over 200,000 trucking industry jobs in North Carolina alone. Some of the biggest truck driving companies and employers are Inman Trucking, Schneider National, Inc., Cooke Trucking Co, Inc., and TG Stegall Trucking Company. 

Biggest Employer	Average Salary	Company Size
Cargo Transporters	$57,418	201-500
Schneider National, Inc.	$42,838	10,000+
Cooke Trucking Co	$65,000	51-200
XPO Logistics	$55,433	10,000+

Salary

According to Salary.com, a tractor-trailer truck driver can earn anywhere from $40,000 to over $60,000 per year. The average sits at $51,775 per year, meaning most truck drivers make $4,314 per month or $995 per week. Remember that this may not be the starting wage that you’ll receive because these statistics take truck drivers who have a lot of experience into consideration, too. 

National Average Pay

The national average pay rate of truck drivers in the U.S. is around $45,897 per year. When you compare the average salary of truck drivers in North Carolina to the national average salary of truck drivers, you’ll notice that the pay rate in North Carolina is slightly higher than the national average. 

Part of the reason why states like North Carolina and West Virginia pay truck drivers so well is due to the terrain that makes up the majority of the state. A large number of mountains and hills make it somewhat difficult to safely traverse by way of a truck, so companies pay drivers more because driving trucks is harder in these states. 

Largest Employers in North Carolina

Here are some of the largest trucking employers in North Carolina. 

T.G. Stegall

T.G. Stegall is always looking for new drivers. It’s not necessarily the best fit for beginners as the company does require one year of commercial driving experience.

Inman Trucking 

Inman Trucking is a great company to start your truck driving career with. As long as you are at least twenty-three years old and can pass the three-year violation check, you should have no problem moving along in the hiring process. They’ll even offer you a $1,500 sign-on bonus! 

Cargo Transporters 

Cargo Transporters want to make sure their drivers are taken care of, so they pay their drivers anywhere from 8% to 10% more than competitors due to their use of the Rand McNally mileage calculator. Two of the founders of Cargo Transporters were truckers themselves, so they have helped design a work environment that benefits and supports the drivers. 

Cooke Trucking Co

Cooke Trucking Co is one of the few companies that offer specific applications in order to become a local driver or OTR team driver. They even offer the option to be a part-time driver where you can work with them while only driving as often as you want to. 

Small Steps for the Long Haul

If you are interested in a viable career as a truck driver, you can get started very quickly in North Carolina. There are numerous options to choose from, and you can become very successful as a truck driver in North Carolina. 

Worried about financing both school and truck? Options for company tuition reimbursement or finding a company with a lease-purchasing program are available nationwide!

Once you complete schooling and finish your training, you’ll end up earning a fairly large paycheck due to the high demand and amount of work available for Class A CDL drivers.

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