CDL Training Houston: How To Become A Truck Driver In Houston

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CDL Training Houston: How To Become A Truck Driver In Houston

Are you interested in CDL training in Houston? If so, this article is for you.

Trucking is a rapidly growing industry and now is a great time to start your career as a truck driver. There is plenty of opportunities to make money as a truck driver in Houston.

The first step in starting this new career begins with obtaining your CDL license. In this guide, I will take to you about CDL training in Houston to help get on the road to new opportunities!

What Is A CDL?

CDL stands for Commercial Driver License. CDLs are licenses that allow you to operate commercial vehicles in the United States, and internationally if they meet certain requirements.

You can get CDL training from a truck driving school in Houston or even a company that you work for can train you to drive big rigs.

What Materials Do Houston Truck Drivers Transport?

Truck drivers in Houston typically work for companies that specialize in transporting things like:

  • Food
  • Wood
  • Coal
  • Cement
  • Waste
  • Fuels found in Houston chemical plants

Types Of Trucks That You Can Drive: Light Cargo vs Heavy Load

Light and heavy load trucks are the two most common types of trucks.

Light cargo is described as anything weighing less than 26,000 pounds. However, if the weight exceeds that limit, it is called a heavy load. To ensure the safety of the freight, the driver, and other vehicles on the road, trucks carrying heavy loads require special qualities. In order to operate these heavy machines, they often require their drivers to have a special license.

Paid CDL Training (Company Sponsored CDL Training)

Paid CDL training, also known as company-sponsored CDL training, is just that. A company will pay for the cost of training you to drive a big rig and pay you IF you agree to work with them for a period of time after your training.

Several of the nation’s largest trucking companies run their own driver training schools. Again they will teach you how to drive an 18 wheeler, help you obtain your CDL, and then put you to work in driving jobs. 

What Are The Duties Of A Houston Truck Driver?

Their duty is to transport products and raw materials to and from manufacturing plants, refineries, grocery stores, and distribution centers on vehicles such as a big rig truck.

Here is a list of requirements for jobs as a Houston truck driver:

  • Keep track of the work/rest hours, kilometers driven, and fuel/toll receipts.
  • For each stage of the loading and unloading process, enter “macros” into our automated framework.
  • Follow all truck driving laws and regulations, as well as company policies (amount, volume, path designations, storage, and break periods).
  • Trucks must be maneuvered into loading or unloading positions.
  • Gather and double-check distribution instructions.
  • Notify the company of any flaws, injuries, or breaches.
  • Deliver construction materials to customers inside the distribution territory using a truck and tractor-trailer unit.
  • Material and heavy freight should be loaded, handled, and transported in a secure manner.
  • Investigate safety loads to ensure that the materials loaded on the trailer are right.
  • Deliver supplies to their destinations, unload them, and finish the paperwork.
  • Customers’ questions should be directed to the location’s management.
  • DOT demands that you keep your car in good working order.
  • Maintain DOT-compliant logs and documents.
  • Stable vehicles or building loads for safe transportation by loading and unloading them.
  • Deliver the cargo with a focus on customer support and safety.
  • Transport goods to company locations and serve as a professional agent for CMC.
  • Transport and distribute equipment using tractor-trailer combinations and commercial vehicles.
  • Vehicles are inspected, troubleshot, and maintained.
  • To load and unload delivery vehicles, use driven industrial trucks.
  • To tie the load to the trailer, use ratchet straps, chains, and binders.
  • Obey all federal, state, and local laws regulating commercial vehicle service.

What Is The Average Truck Driver Salary In Houston?

The average salary of a Houston truck driver is $74,534 per year. Monthly pay is $5,277 according to Indeed, while the hourly pay of a truck driver in Houston is $24.78.

Keep in mind that salary can differ greatly depending on a variety of variables, such as level of education, certifications, prior experience, specialties, the cargo you are carrying, and how long you’ve been in your line of work. 

3 Types Of CDLs: Training Needed To Become A Truck Driver In Houston

There are three types of CDLs in Texas. For those interested in becoming a truck driver in Houston, the following license classes are available:

1.) Class A CDL

The vehicle must weigh more than 26,000 pounds and the hind vehicle or trailer must weigh more than 10,000 pounds to qualify as a Class A vehicle requiring the associated license. Class A licenses allow you to drive essentially any truck. A Class A license holder can also operate Class B, C, and D vehicles as long as no additional endorsements are necessary and no other limitations apply.

Examples of vehicles that you can drive with a Class A CDL include:

  • Tractor-trailers
  • Semi-trucks
  • Big rigs
  • 18 wheelers
  • Flatbeds
  • Tanker vehicles
  • Livestock carriers
  • Most Class B and C vehicles with the necessary endorsement requirements

2.) Class B CDL

The total vehicle weight must be 26,000 pounds or more, with a towing capacity of fewer than 10,000 pounds.

Class B vehicles do not typically have a trailer. Examples of trucks that you can drive with a Class B CDL are:

  • Straight trucks
  • School Buses
  • Box trucks
  • Garbage trucks
  • Dump trucks
  • Delivery trucks
  • Cement mixers
  • A Metro Bus
  • Some Class C vehicles if you have the necessary endorsement requirements

Class B licensees are also permitted to operate Class C vehicles as long as no additional endorsements are necessary and no other limitations apply.

3.) Class C CDL

Drivers who wish to operate a commercial vehicle, which is any truck carrying 16 or more people including the driver, or hazmat-classified materials will need to obtain an appropriate Class C Commercial Driver’s License.

Trucks that you can drive with a Class C CDL include:

  • Double and triple trailers
  • Buses
  • Tank trucks
  • HazMat vehicles

How Much Does Training Cost To Become An Truck Driver (CDL) In Houston

The average cost in Texas is $2344 for the Class A CDL program. This makes becoming a truck driver in Houston an affordable goal for you.

If you cannot afford the cost of CDL training, then you will want to look for companies that offered paid CDL training or company-sponsored training.

How Long Does It Take To Get A CDL?

According to Schneider jobs, it can take 7 weeks to get a CDL in Houston if you are attending a full-time program.

CDL Schools In Houston: Where To Train To Become A Truck Driver In Houston

If you’re looking for CDL schools in Houston, Texas then there are numerous schools that will train you to become a truck driver. CDL driving schools in Houston offer you CDL training and even CDL job placement. Truck driving jobs can be lucrative as they are full-time positions with good benefits.


Here is a listing of local truck driving schools in Houston:

AAA CDL School

AAA CDL School, located in Houston, offers CDL training for anyone who wants to learn how to be a truck driver. This truck driving school offers CDL training for beginners as well as CDL refresher courses. Overall, this CDL training school strives to produce the best CDL drivers in Texas and the country.

Class A CDL

Class A CDL Truck Driving School in Houston Texas can help you obtain CDL certification. This truck training school in northeast Houston will offer everything necessary to get started on the road to trucking success including Class A, Class B, HazMat Certification, and Air Brakes Certification.

Get It Done CDL

Get It Done CDL truck driving school in Houston makes CDL training easy. CDL classes are taught at a pace that is both affordable and also educational. CDL instructors are professionally trained to ensure that the concepts being taught make sense.

Alvin Community College

Alvin Community College offers 160 hour Class “A” training courses in Alvin, Texas. CDL classes are offered year-round on a part-time or full-time basis, with enrollment low enrollment prices of around $3800.

Houston Community College Professional Truck Driver School

The CDL training program that is offered by the Houston Community College can teach you how to operate and maintain commercial motor vehicles. CDL training courses can be completed in less than 6 weeks if you choose the day program.

For more information about this Houston CDL training program contact the school at the number below.

Lee College (Truck Driving School For Prisoners In Texas)

Lee College offers a truck driving school in Huntsville, Texas to prisoners at the John W. Wynne Unit.

This Texas prison truck driving school teaches inmates how to drive a semi-truck which provides them with a way to make legitimate high incomes once they are released. In addition to providing prisoners with a tangible skill, this truck driver school also decreases recidivism rates according to Lee College.

To learn more about this unique truck driving school you can visit the Lee College website.

San Jacinto College Truck Driving School

San Jacinto College Truck Driving School is a CDL training school that offers CDL training in Houston.

The CDL program consists of both in-class and behind-the-wheel CDL training. San Jac College Truck Driving School has been providing CDL training in Pasadena, TX for years and has graduated thousands of high-earning truck drivers in Houston.

Contact them today if you are interested in a career in driving an 18 wheeler.

Stevens Transport – Houston Lone Star College

Stevens Transport CDL training in Houston is a truck driving program that has partnered with Lone Star College.

Stevens Transport is a top-notch program Houston truck driver program with skilled CDL instructors. They also offer CDL testing and refresher courses for drivers.

Once you graduate, Stevens Transport estimates that you can earn $60K in the first year and $70K by your third year of driving a big rig.

To learn more, contact this Spring, TX truck driving school at the number below.

Truck Driver Employers In Houston

Once you obtain your CDL license you can contact these Houston employers to learn more about truck driving positions they may have.

Conclusion

CDL training in Houston can be a great investment if you want to start your CDL career and make money. The CDL school programs we’ve provided will help you to consider how CDL schools help you get trained and find a truck driving job in Houston or beyond.

Once you have your license from a reputable Houston CDL school, you can contact these employers listed above to find high-paying truck driver jobs in Houston.

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