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So, you want to be a trucker, living an independent lifestyle while getting paid to haul freight from one end of the country to the other. Before any respectable company will consider hiring you for this job, you're going to need an education, and I'm not talking about the kind of learning you get at a high school or college. You need to get schooled on the brass-tack skills of safely and skillfully operating a big rig. This isn't some pickup truck that can do zero-to-60 in under 8 seconds, brakes from 60-to-zero in less than 200 feet, parallel parks, and takes up only 1 lane when turning. This is a whole different beast, and you're going to need new skills to make it work. The question isn't whether or not you need to go to school, it's where to go.
Fortunately, there are a lot of options when finding a place to get your CDL training. There are three types of trucking schools, each with their own advantages and disadvantages.
Public driving schools receive funding from the government, and include institutions such as vocational schools, community colleges, and even some state colleges. The price for instruction tends to be lower at these types of institutions, but there is a tradeoff. A common complaint is that class sizes tend to be large, which means that students spend less time under the direct supervision of an instructor, and less time training in the equipment. It's also reported that equipment tends not to be maintained as well as it is in dedicated truck driver schools. Programs tend to be rigidly scheduled and are spread out over a longer period, in order to conform with standard Spring/Fall term semesters.
Private schools are owned by corporations or individuals and make their money by training drivers. Their job is to build skills and safety to help you manage a big rig. Some schools are focused on giving drivers just enough training to pass their CDL test, without giving the full instruction that's necessary to become a true professional. These places are known as 'CDL Mills,' and you are advised to stay away from them. One large advantage of private schools is that they tend to have connections with a number of trucking company recruiters, so getting a job after successfully getting your CDL license is usually a cinch.
The final option is to go to a truck driving school run directly by a motor carrier. Some carriers will provide the training for free, and some even offer paid CDL training. However, these offers come with a catch. Most companies require you to sign a 1 or 2 year contract, and if you leave early you can be required to reimburse the company for your training. Also, many companies require the students to perform extra duties during the training, such as 'Lumping,' which is basically loading or unloading the contents of trailers. If you don't mind the string attached, this is obviously the least expensive option.
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