Georgia Trucking Schools

These days, many residents of Georgia are deciding to join the truck driving industry. According to experts, the principal factors that are forcing these people to take up truck driving as their main profession are: the opportunity of avoiding office woes, reasonable pay and job stability. To join a trucking company as a truck driver, you will only need to complete a month of truck driver training in Georgia and obtain your consumer driver’s license (CDL).

Truck drivers of Georgia operate a wide variety of vehicles, which ranges from semi trailer-trucks to cargo vans. The time required for completing truck driving assignments vary from one assignment to the other. As a truck driver, you may need to deliver goods only within your neighborhood or travel long distances for completing your assignments. Most assignments of delivering goods in distant parts of the country require truck drivers to work during the nighttime, in absence of heavy on-road traffic.

Trucking companies in Georgia pay their truck drivers quite reasonably. Numbers presented by the Bureau of Labor Statistics suggest that you can expect to obtain hourly rates between $14.21 and $24.07 from truck driver jobs. Truck drivers who receive an hourly rate of $24.07 are recognized as top professionals of the industry. Often truck drivers need to work continuously for several hours. They might even need to stay on the road for days or even weeks without any break in between. Extra hours on the road can make them eligible for overtime pays. Besides the overtime pays, truck drivers of Georgia are also rewarded with commissions and bonuses. All these together allow truck drivers in the state of Georgia to earn between $34,264 and $52,508, annually.

Your salary as a commercial driver depends on factors like: the kind of freight you are delivering, the gross weight of the freight and the number of miles you will be driving for completing the assignment. If you have taken up an assignment that will require you to deliver freight that has been categorized as hazardous materials (for instance flammable items), you will be paid more. Most trucking companies also offer benefits of various types to their truck drivers. Recently obtained statistics suggest that 71% commercial drivers get health insurance coverage and 56% and 44% get dental and vision coverage respectively from their employers.

Trucking companies in Georgia only hire truck drivers with a valid CDL. A commercial driver’s license is necessary if you want to drive vehicles with a weight over 26,000 lbs. Federal laws require every individual to pass a drug or alcohol test and a physical test for obtaining CDL. In addition to that, the applicant must also have a valid Georgia driver’s license and a good prior driving record. CDL is only given to individuals above the age of 21 years. Individuals aged between 18 and 21 years can also receive CDLs, but they are only allowed to drive within the state boundaries. CDL holders below 21 years are also not allowed to transport hazardous materials.

Do you meet the above discussed criteria? If yes, then you have high chances of obtaining your CDL successfully. However, your chances of getting a CDL can be increased even further if you attend a truck driver training in Georgia at any of the reputable CDL schools of the state.

A CDL school will help you to prepare yourself for CDL test. Commercial driver’s license applicants are tested for skills like vehicle control and pre trip vehicle inspection. They also need to undergo on-road driving tests. Each of these skill tests are designed for checking whether or not the CDL applicants have enough knowledge about operating heavy duty vehicles. To ensure that you perform impressively in these skill tests and receive the commercial driver’s license without any difficulty, you must get your name enrolled at a truck driving school in Georgia. CDL training provided by these trucking schools educates aspiring truck drivers about the process of handling commercial vehicles skillfully and safely. The students will also be informed about all the federal and state laws that govern the truck driving industry.

Several community colleges in Georgia have driver training departments that provide CDL training for a low cost. If you don’t have community colleges that run CDL training courses in your area, you can join a private trucking school. Truck driver training in Georgia is a lot more expensive (the fee can be more than $5,000), if you opt for the private schools. However, the training provided at community colleges and private schools are equally beneficial for aspirant truckers.

To increase your chances of getting employment immediately after passing the CDL test, you can also join a truck driver training school approved by a trucking company. These pre-approved CDL schools generally charge much less compared to the other private schools. Usually, their course fees range between $2,000 and $3,000.

Once you complete your truck driver training in Georgia and get your commercial driver’s license, you can expect to find a truck driving job fairly quickly. With numerous truck driver jobs available in the state, you will not need to wait too long to get the employment of your preference. The process, however, does not end here. Once you are hired by a trucking company, you will need to fulfill some more requirements. You will have to pass the drug and physical screening exam of GDOT or Georgia Department of Transportation. This screening procedure will include several tests for studying physical and psychological factors that can influence driving. You will also be tested for illegal drug use. You can start working for your employer officially only after passing these exams. During the first four days of your job, you will need to attend an orientation program. For the next two to three weeks, you will have to work as a trainee truck driver. During the training phase, a veteran truck driver (your driver trainer) will be supervising your actions. You will have to complete driver training successfully in order to get the opportunity to go for on-road assignments alone.