North Carolina truckers are driving straight to the bank. The state’s position allows drivers to haul to Florida, New York and the Midwest with virtual ease. Getting your foot in the door requires researching truck driving schools in NC, obtaining your CDL and landing your new job.
A good reason to go to trucking school is that you’ll often secure a position at a reputable trucking company as part of your schooling.
It’s an easier way to get your first trucking job.
There are a lot of opportunities available, from trucking driving schools in Charlotte, NC to Raleigh and in Western North Carolina, too.
OTR careers are booming in the state, and the schools that can help you start your OTR career are:
Top Trucking Driving Schools in North Carolina
Roadmaster Driving School
Roadmaster has trucking schools on both coasts, with over a dozen schools nationwide. The school offers CDL training with a 20-year track record. The company has trained over 75,000 truckers.
Roadmaster offers 3- or 4-week CDL A training as well as hands-on learning opportunities.
On-site recruitment and job placement assistance is offered to all students. You’ll also learn map reading, trip planning, compliance requirements, on-the-road training, backing and hooking a trailer, advanced driving techniques and other vital information to secure your position as an OTR driver.
Roadmaster Dunn, NC is the closest outfit available. The company’s information is:
- Address: 1111 South Clinton Avenue in Dunn, North Carolina 28335
- Phone: (910) 891-1344
- Web Address: http://www.roadmaster.com
Carolina Trucking Academy
A homegrown training school, the Carolina Trucking Academy does things a little differently. When you call and consider training with the company, they’ll place you with a trucking company before you enroll.
This means you’ll have a job waiting for you once you’ve completed your training.
The company has a 100% placement record, and provides employment support after graduation, too. Weekday and weekend training schedules are available. The company offers a fleet of new trucks, av 4-1/2 acre driving range, and student housing, too.
Full-week courses last 4 weeks in total. If you attend on the weekend only, you’ll attend for 16 weekends from 7am – 6pm on Saturday.
- Address: 3720 S. Wilmington St. in Raleigh, North Carolina 27603
- Phone: (800) 561-6173
- Web Address: http://www.carolinatruckingacademy.com/
Miller-Motte CDL Training
Miller-Motte provides a robust CDL training opportunity for drivers in North Carolina. The company has flexible program options for families, students with full-time jobs, and those that can’t fit into a traditional schedule.
Classroom and hands-on training is provided, with 20 hours of OTR driving and 40 hours of observation prior to meeting the CDL license requirements.
- Campuses: Fayetteville, Jacksonville, Greenville, Raleigh
- Phone: (800) 705-9182
- Web Address: https://www.miller-motte.edu/career-training-programs/skilled-trades-training-cdl
Caldwell Community College
The Caldwell Community College offers truck driver training. Full-time classes take 9 weeks to complete. Part-time classes are completed in 15 weeks. The program started in 1990, with over 2,000 drivers receiving their CDL training through the school in the last 10 years.
Training is divided into three parts: classroom, range driving and road driving.
Total tuition is $1,882. Placement programs are offered, with 88% of students pre-hired before graduation.
- Address: 2855 Hickory Blvd. in Hudson, NC 28638
- Phone: (828) 726-2200
- Web Address: http://www.cccti.edu/coned/courses/TruckDriverTraining.asp
Alliance Tractor Trailer Training Center
Alliance offers CDL training to provide students the opportunity to become a top career driver. The company provides everything from hands-on training to student housing and an online simulated training program.
Field maneuver training is offered as well as extension road training in a variety of trucks and trailers.
Students can be tested and issued their CDL at the school. Full-time and part-time opportunities are available. Financing is available for students.
- Address: Blue Ridge Community College West Campus Drive in Flat Rock, NC 28731
- Phone: (800) 334-1203
- Web Address: https://www.alliancetractortrailer.com/cdl-training-school/
The College of Davidson and Davie Counties
DCCC is a college, but they also offer an eight-week course aimed to help students finish their CDL training in NC. Classes consist of classroom lectures as well as training range exercises and highway driving.
Students finish class with the knowledge and experience to obtain their commercial driver’s license.
- Address: 1205 Salisbury Road in Mocksville, NC 27028
- Phone: (336) 751-2885 ext. 6337
- Web Address: https://www.davidsonccc.edu/academics/business-engineering-and-technical-studies/transportation-technologies/truck-driver
Cape Fear Community College
Cape Fear Community College offers curriculum to students to put them on the path to a truck driving career. The program teaches students: laws, basics, regulations and how to operate a commercial vehicle.
Highway driving is included, and day and night classes are available.
- Campuses: Wilmington, Castle Hayne, Burgaw and Hampstead
- Phone: (910) 362-7320
- Web Address: http://cfcc.edu/voc/truck-driver-training/
Future Truckers of America
FTA is governed and approved by the NC Department of Motor Vehicles. The training institute works closely with all major carriers, which allows students to land a job quickly. CDL training is completed in just 4 weeks.
Students can take refresher courses, and lifetime job placement is provided.
On-campus housing is available, and 80% of graduates have multiple job offers upon graduation. The company has trained CDL students since 1997, with 10 licensed instructors providing classes to students.
- Address: Asheboro, NC
- Phone: (800) 610-3777
- Web Address: http://futuretruckers.com/
Isothermal Community College
Isothermal offers a three-part training program for anyone who wants to start their career as a truck driver. The school breaks its courses into three parts: classroom, range driving and road driving.
Tuition is $1,882.
Training for this course is provided by Caldwell Community College (listed previously).
- Campuses: Hudson, Conover, Dallas, Cherryville, Statesville, Spindale and Rutherford
- Phone: (828) 286-2218
- Web Address: https://www.isothermal.edu/academics/continuing-education/truck-driving/
SAGE Truck Driving Schools
SAGE is one of the leading truck driving schools in the country. The school offers over six unique programs to cover everything from advanced trucking to helping a person obtain a CDL A or B license.
The company has a strong reputation among former students, and offers many payment options to attendees.
- Address: 522 North Old Carriage Road in Rocky Mount, NC 27804
- Phone: (252) 451-8357
- Web Address: http://www.sageschools.com/locations/
Johnston Community College
Johnson Community College offers students an opportunity to obtain their CDL license, with all students receiving their CDL A, DOT 380 and JCC certificate. A nationally-ranked school, a recruiter day links students with companies that are looking for new drivers to fill their fleet.
The school’s facility provides all testing and equipment.
There are refresher courses for former drivers who want to ensure they remember all the information needed to meet NC CDL requirements. Special tuition discounts are provided for in-state students ($1,075.50 for training vs $3,379.50 for out-of-state residents).
- Address: 245 College Road in Smithfield, NC 27577
- Phone: (919) 209-2045
- Web Address: http://www.johnstoncc.edu/programs/transportation-systems/truck-driver-training/index.aspx
TransTech
TransTech provides state-of-the-art training with lifetime job placement and small class sizes. Every class has just four students for the entire 4-weeks of training. The small class size allows for one-on-one training that the competing schools can’t match.
Students will find a variety of programs offered at TransTech for CDL A and CDL B training.
- Campuses: Newton, Charlotte, Winston Salem and Asheville
- Phone: (828) 464-8001
- Web Address: http://www.trans-tech.net/
Vance Granville Community College
VGCC offers CDL training courses for drivers who want to obtain their CDL B license. Training is heavily discounted, and the classes fill up quickly. The entire CDL B course will consist of 80 total hours, and class time is as little as every Saturday from 8 am – 5 pm.
Classes are only in session every semester, so be prepared to sign up early.
This is an affordable option to complete your truck driver training.
- Address: 200 Community College Road in Henderson, N.C. 27537
- Phone: (252) 492-2061
- Web Address: http://www.vgcc.edu/
Truck drivers have seen their pay rise in recent years. CNN reported that private fleets are willing to pay as much as $73,000 for the right driver in North Carolina. The industry average salary is $40,000 (or a little higher), and Walmart is one of the highest-paying trucking companies in the country.