There are several CDL truck schools in Washington State.
Washington state has several places you can attend school for truck driver training if you desire a commercial driver's license, or CDL. Whatever your schedule is, or whatever your circumstances are, you can find a school to suit your needs. If Monday through Friday is feasible for you, try Bates Technical College. If you can only handle a two-day week because of family responsibilities, or have low income, apply to Grays Harbor.
Commercial Driver Services
The Commercial Driver License program at Commercial Driver Services Inc., in Lakewood, Washington, is a four-week course in which you can graduate with a Class A CDL. You have the option after graduation of receiving job placement assistance throughout your career.
According to the Top Trucking Schools website, the school offers both day and evening classes. You will spend one week in the classroom, after which you will receive an additional three weeks acquiring field experience practicing out on the roads with a licensed teacher. The Class A course is 160 credit hours, the Class B session is 48 credits and the Class C endorsement course is 36. You may acquire on-site housing for no extra charge.
Check Ride
In 1989, Jeff Smith opened the Check Ride Trucking School with the purpose of teaching inexperienced drivers, helping them to improve their road skills with the goal of making them above average drivers. The school is in Woodinville. It sits on 3.5 acres, consisting of a classroom, an office and a large truck shop. The school uses the rest of the property to train driving students prior to taking them out on the road. Check Ride offers Class A training, which is 160 hours; Class B, both classroom and practical training; and refresher training, which the school offers experienced drivers on an hourly basis. The minimum time is four hours. To partake of this refresher training, you must produce a valid CDL and a current Department of Transportation medical card.
Bates Technical College
Bates Technical College in Tacoma offers the CDL Class A course. According to the college's website, classes take place in the classroom, on the Bates Truck Driving Range and on the road. The course operates full time, Monday through Friday. New training classes start throughout the year.
The Bates website says the school is the only Professional Truck Driving Institute-certified truck driving school in the state of Washington. The school operates between September and July, and enrolls on a quarterly basis. If you are low income, or on TANF food benefits, you may qualify for free training.
Grays Harbor College
Grays Harbor College is a school in Aberdeen that offers CDL training. The institution holds classes two days a week, Tuesday and Thursday, from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. for the beginners' classes, with the advanced sessions meeting on Mondays and Wednesdays from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The waiting list is long. To enter, you must take a test and achieve 220 or better on it. You must also submit a five-year employment history to the Workforce Education Office. You can obtain this form from the Department of Motor Vehicles, according to the school's website. You must take a drug test, and if you fail it, you may never reapply to this school again.
Tags: Bates Technical, Bates Technical College, Check Ride, Grays Harbor, Technical College
