Never before, the CDL driving school has such an important role to play in training new truck drivers for the nation's transport industry. The current nationwide demand for skilled drivers for light and heavy trucks is high, based on the Federal Government Occupational Handbook, and since much of the inland distribution of goods is done through trucking companies, it is highly likely that truck drivers will continue to be assured of job security and so does the CDL driving schools. The potential for growth is also quite good.

However, since the passage of the Commercial Motor Vehicle Safety Act of 1986, it has become a requirement that all drivers for vehicles with a gross weight of more than 26,001 lbs or 11,739 kg, considered Commercial Motor Vehicles are required to have a commercial driver's license (CDL). These include drivers of tow trucks, track trailers, most trucks and buses, in an attempt to improve highway safety. The federal government dictates the minimum requirements for passing the CDL tests and the standards can be quite high. To improve the chances of being given CDL, many drivers opt to go to a CDL driving school.

Not all CDL drivers' schools are created equal. Typically referred to as truck driver training programs, there are three major types of CDL truck driving schools available. These are private schools, public institutions and motor carriers.

There are variations in the training programs offered by the CDL schools. Additionally the quality in training, the equipment standard, student truck ratio, training charges, job assurance and so on has to be analyzed before choosing one. Essentially there are three types of driver schools; Private schools, Public institutions and motor carriers.

You can find many state-funded or local government funded CDL driving schools, they are basically stationed in community colleges or vocational schools. Normally these institutions do not specialize in just CDL training programs. As they have many running programs, the CDL training program might be one under many skills training programs they offer. Maybe then this won't meet, the desired comprehensive and thorough truck driving training. These public funded driving classes are comparatively cheaper and the rates are somewhat subsidized.

The CDL driving schools that are funded by the local government or the State are known as publicly funded truck driving schools. They are usually conducted in vocational schools, community colleges or State colleges. Mostly the truck driving program is one of the several other courses offered by the Institution. The training program structure may not be as flexible as those provided by the private driving schools. While the public funded CDL driving schools have training programs for longer durations, private schools provide customized schedules to meet special requirements for quicker and convenient sessions. The advantage of Public driving school is the subsidized cost involved would be relatively lower.

Motor carrier training is motivated by churning out the most drivers in the shortest period of time as possible, and is more an on-the-job training than a truck driving school. It focuses on providing the truck driver training that will actually put a driver behind the wheels of a truck and not much else, just enough to pass the CDL test. Such training can be very risky because it does not thoroughly prepare a driver for the many factors that makes heavy vehicle operation riskier than lighter vehicles.

Before choosing a CDL driving school, a potential student should investigate if the Professional Truck Driver Institute (PTDI) properly certifies the school's program. PTDI certification is not required but it will ensure that the CDL driving school maintains high standards in CDL education, and most companies and agencies require PTDI certification. One requirement by the PTDI is a minimum of 44 hours of actual driving. This could be considered a standard even if the school's program is not certified.