Great Lakes Truck Driving School Empowers Students With The Foundation For Success

"Our Success Is Measured in Direct Proportion
to the Success of Our Students"







Among the CDL Class A driver training schools across the U.S. that we are proud to be associated with, we are especially pleased to feature Great Lakes Truck Driving School.  Their goal is to provide quality instructional programs in a student-centered culture built on respect, encouragement, and continuous support, while empowering students with the foundation for a lifetime of success. 

Great Lakes Truck Driving School provides a full CDL Class A training program which includes classroom instruction, driving range and road training, designed for individuals who have no previous tractor trailer experience.  Training prepares students for the CDL Skills Test and entry-level employment as a tractor-trailer driver.

Located in Columbia Station Ohio, its state-of-the-art training facility is one of the few training facilities in the nation to offer courses in professional driving, heavy equipment operations, and oil & gas industry training - all in one location. 

Great Lakes has the distinction of being a nationally accredited, Veterans Approved training institution. Since its opening in July 2008, the school has more than doubled the student training areas, added a heavy equipment division, added 30 employees, and received multiple awards for excellence, including the 2009 Economic Development Achievement Award. In 2010, Owner and School Director Doris Young was named Small Business Person of the Year by the Small Business Administration's Cleveland District Office.

The ABC's of Getting Your CDL Class A License

You've Made Your Career Decision
You Want To Be An Over The Road Driver
You Need To Get Your CDL Class A License
What Is The Next Step?



James S. McCormack
Co-Founder of
Trucking Careers of America



You cannot drive for a trucking company without first getting your CDL license, and here we are talking about a CDL Class A license to drive tractor trailers over the road.  You must have graduated either from an independent school or from a company sponsored cdl training program.

First and foremost, there are several requirements that must be met for you to get your CDL Class A License:

• you must have a valid driver's license from the state in which you currently reside
• you must be at least 21 years of age
• you must be in good health
• you must speak, write and understand English well enough to communicate with others

Next, go to your local Motor Vehicle Bureau and get a copy of your MVR and a copy of the CDL manual.  Make sure your MVR is accurate and doesn't have anything negative that would prevent you from being accepted into training or being hired after graduation.  If you have a criminal record and depending on the type of crime, you may be ineligible for employment in the trucking industry.  Get a head start on learning the manual and get your CDL Permit at your local Motor Vehicle Bureau before you attend training.  For a CDL Permit for a CDL Class A license you will need to take:

• a general knowledge test
• a combination test
• air-brake test

No Shortage of Truck Driving Jobs for Trainco Truck Driving School Graduates

"A CDL License Is A Diploma For The Working Person ..."

If you live in Michigan or Ohio, and you are looking for the right truck driving school to get your CDL Class A License, one of Trainco's schools is the school for you.

With five locations across Southern Michigan and Northwest Ohio, Trainco has just moved the Logan Square facility in South Lansing to larger facilities at 2200 South Washington Avenue.  This relocation is part of their expansion program to fill more jobs in the region.

Every Trainco graduate is well-trained and highly qualified; at Trucking Careers of America we have placed more than 150 Trainco graduates with great companies and not one graduate has been sent home because they lacked critical skills.

In February 2009, Trainco and Owens Community College announced a partnership which afforded area residents the opportunity to receive five college technical credits while enrolled in Trainco Professional Truck Driving Schools and Career Centers.  Students pursuing their commercial driver's license (CDL) apply the educational training and experience toward an associate's degree in Owens' Technical Studies or a related field. 

How To Get An OTR Driving Job With Only Six Months OTR Experience - Do You Really Need A Refresher Course?

Been Off The Road For Awhile and
You Were Told That You Need To Take

A CDL Class A Refresher Course or
The Full CDL Training Program?

Probably Not ....

We frequently talk with otr truckers who have not been on the road for awhile.  They still have their CDL Class A license but for one reason or another, have not been driving otr consistently.  There are many reasons ... the company they previously worked for may have gone out of business, or maybe they were laid off due to a cutback.  Maybe there was a family illness.  Whatever the reason, they can't find a driving job because they haven't been driving regularly.

They were told by numerous company recruiters that in order to get an ort driving job they would either have to take a CDL Refresher Course or start all over again by taking the full CDL Class A course.  Here is the breakdown:

The CDL Refresher Course - Typically 40 Hours:

Fewer and fewer trucking companies are offering refresher courses, and those that do offer the course charge in the area of $500 - $1000.  As a general rule, a driver does not have to sign an employment contract when taking the refresher course through a trucking company. 

Fees for truck driver training schools run about $1,400 for a CDL Class A Refresher Course. 

The CDL Class A Training Program - Typically 160 Hours:

There are not very many trucking companies offering paid CDL training or company sponsored CDL training, but those that do offer the course charge anywhere from $3,900 - $5,000, sometimes more.  You must sign an employment contract which can range from 8 months to one year.

Many companies will advertise that paid or company sponsored cdl training is 'free'.  Don't be fooled, it is not free.  "Assessing The True Cost of 'Free' CDL Training" is a good source of information on this subject.

There are many excellent private and public truck driver training schools across the U.S. that offer CDL Class A training.  Costs can run between $3,500 to as much as $6,000, and sometimes more.  Federal and state grants are sometimes available, or in-house financing may be an option.

I Have Good News For You ...
There Is A Much Better Option !

What if you could find an otr job without having to take a cdl refresher course or the full training course?  What if there are companies that will hire you if you have only six months otr driving experience?

I have good news for you ... there are trucking companies that will hire you if you have only six consecutive months of otr driving experience within the past three years.

The problem often is in finding a company with which you can get hired, depending upon your individual circumstances, which is one important reason to use the services of an industry advisor like Trucking Careers of America.  It's our job to know who these companies are ....

You may find that regional opportunities are available in certain areas.  Company benefits take effect after 90 days.   Both Rider and Pet Policies may be are offered.  You may travel all states averaging 2,700 miles each week, with 98% no touch cargo.  You may be able to drive solo or team.  One company even guarantees that you will be home for Christmas !

In a sense you are starting again so expect your earnings in your first year to be around $35,000 - $40,000.  You have been able to bypass re-training and are on the road again, building your mileage and experience with a good company, and have taken an important step in regaining your driving status.

Good luck and safe driving .... all the best -