You found a great deal on a used dump truck and now you have a burning desire to become a dump truck driver! Congratulations – and good luck! Before you sign up at the nearest commercial vehicle driving school, it is important to ensure that driving commercial vehicles is a fitting choice for you. If you have the time to do any research at all, then you should have time to do some field research.

Take a Test Run

Before entering into any new line of work or trade, it is wise to try to obtain some actual work experience in order to ensure that this major change is the right one for you. If at all possible, try driving a dump truck and use its features and controls. Learn the responsibilities and obligations that drivers must face in this profession.

Request Training

Some companies will actually train you if they think the cost-to-benefit ratio is appropriate. Such preparation is costly and businesses want to keep expenses down, which is why they are only going to consider people who are devoted to staying with their company. When a business trains a new employee and that new person quits prematurely, they have lost the expense of that education and still have to face instructing another employee. The more indispensable you become to a trucking company, the more likely they will consider your request for this type of driver training.

Formal Education Requirements

Most companies want to ensure that their employees are capable of problem-solving, critical thinking, and decision-making. With this taken into consideration, it would be wise to make sure to finish at least high school or obtain a GED. Higher education is not a requirement for driving dump trucks or any other commercial vehicle; however, it does increase the chances of being considered by an employer for on-the-job training, which decreases your costs for this type of driver education.

Truck Driving Schools

Commercial vehicle driving schools are certainly helpful and provide training to operate commercial trucks. Training will be imperative in obtaining a Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) and passing the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations (FMCSR) examination.

Choosing a School

The CDL exam is a written as well as a hands-on performance test. It would be wise to consider a school that allows adequate hours behind-the-wheel. The trucking industry is evolving with the progression of knowledge and technology. Any commercial vehicle driving school should teach up-to-date information regarding the current and latest industry technology. The commercial vehicle industry is evolving and future and current operators must be aware of those changes.

Potential students of any truck driving school should visit the campus and try to assess their programs. Ensure that the school meets minimum state and federal standards and will allow you enough on-the-road driving hours. Analyze the syllabus or the overview of the class to get a feel for the pace of the class, the overall major goals, and the course objectives. A decent method of getting acquainted with a school’s performance is by contacting and conversing with current and former students, instructors, and staff. If the overall environment of a school is not compatible with your learning style, keep researching schools until you find one that is right for you.

What else should I know?

There is a great deal of responsibility that rests on the operators of dump trucks or any other commercial vehicle. It is important to keep a clean driving record and have no infractions pertaining to alcohol and drugs. All potential commercial vehicle employers test potential employees’ vision, hearing, and background for any drugs and alcohol infractions.

Becoming a truck driver is no doubt a real challenge to handle; however, you can decrease any potential hindrances to this goal by researching commercial vehicle driving schools and a potential employer. It would be ideal to work for a trucking company that provides hands-on training and is willing to pay for this type of driving school. Here’s hoping you get behind the wheel of your great used dump truck in the near future!