CDL Training Involves More Than Just Learning To Drive A Truck

Want to learn how to drive a truck? Almost any truck driver can teach you how to drive. However, that won’t make you a truck driver, and it probably won’t help you to achieve a commercial drivers license. Commercial truck drivers need a range of skills that go beyond just driving. Some of these skills include:

• Reversing with one or more trailers,
• Pre-trip inspections,
• Coupling and uncoupling trailers,
• Securing loads,
• Maintaining log books,
• Operating GPS equipment,
• Truck maintenance and basic breakdown repairs,
• Truck safety, including truck stop security and breakdown safety procedures

That is just a small sample. If you include endorsements like a HazMat endorsement, you will need to learn the requirements for transporting hazardous materials. Whilst that list may look complex, in practice, they are actions which most drivers learn to do by habit.

These are all important skills. Take maintaining a log book – get it wrong and your career could very quickly come to an end.

The truck driver training program at ATS covers all of these skills in both classroom-based and hands-on training. Once you have completed your training, you will be ready to not only drive a truck, but also obtain your commercial drivers license and become a truck driver.

Whilst undertaking truck driver training through ATS, you can access our Career Services department. They will help you refine your job seeking skills and help you to find employers that best match your work requirements. You will also have access to our job site where you’ll find job vacancies that have been listed by employers. Our aim is to help you to become a professional truck driver – we are not in the business of just teaching people to drive trucks – and there is a big difference between the two.