CDL-A

The CDL-A programme is offered via both traditional delivery and distance education delivery and is designed to prepare individuals for jobs in the transportation industry. Students gain a solid foundation of knowledge that includes classroom work and hands-on driving training in real-world situations. First, the programme prepares students to test for and obtain their Commercial Learner’s Permit; it then prepares them to sit for the Class A Commercial Driver’s License, which qualifies drivers to operate commercial vehicles in both intrastate and interstate transportation.

Students train on a standard cab tractor and/or a sleeper tractor with a 53-foot trailer.

The programme includes 100 hours behind the wheel and on-the-road training, access to the programme app, and online training for the theory units. Students prepare to sit for the Commercial Driver’s License Class A, taken through a third party (exam fees are not included in tuition).

Southern Careers Institute was founded in 1960 and received its initial accreditation from the Council on Occupational Education in 1991. It trains students at eight Texas campuses and online, and its campuses are authorized testing sites for the National Healthcareer Association and Certiport. Students earn skill badges as they progress, and SCI Connect, the school’s career services portal, lets students build a profile with their resume, skill badges and videos of them performing job tasks for employers who post jobs there.

Before you start. Prior to the start date, you must visit the school and tour the campus (if you are enrolling in a programme with on-campus classes) and complete an interview with a licensed representative in the Admissions department.

Age and education. You must be at least 16 years of age. An applicant who is under 18 at the time of admission must provide proof of a high school diploma or GED and have written permission from a parent or legal guardian, who co-signs the enrollment agreement. You must provide verifiable official documentation of completion of secondary education within 21 calendar days of starting school: a high school diploma or transcript showing the graduation date, a home school transcript, a recognised high school equivalency certificate, an associate degree from an institution accredited by an agency recognised by the US Department of Education, or a foreign credential evaluated by a NACES member or a TEA-listed evaluation service.

Criminal history. Prospective students must provide criminal history information. Anyone with a convicted or pending felony violent crime, a convicted or pending serious felony drug crime, any sex offense conviction or pending felony sexual case, or who is a registered sex offender is not eligible for enrollment in any programme. SCI reserves the right to conduct criminal background checks.

English. SCI does not provide ESL instruction; classes are taught in English. Students whose primary language is not English must document English proficiency, for example graduation from an English-speaking secondary institution, a TOEFL iBT score of 61, an IELTS level of 6, or a grade of C in an intermediate ESL course.

SCI admits students without regard to race, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, religion, creed, color, national origin, ancestry, marital status, age, disability, or any other factor prohibited by law.

CDL-A requirements. Students must be at least 21 years old by the start date (an exception may be made for applicants at least 18 with written documentation of truck-driving employment from their employer); provide a current, valid Texas driver’s license without limiting restrictions; pass the DOT-required physical exam and drug and alcohol test no later than 30 days before the start date; provide a valid Commercial Learner’s Permit within 28 calendar days of starting; be a U.S. citizen or provide evidence of lawful presence; and provide a current Motor Vehicle Record with no convictions in the past three years for offenses such as DUI, refusal of a chemical test, hit and run, reckless driving, a preventable accident, or speeding 15 mph over the limit. Proof of high school graduation is not required unless the student’s funding source requires it.

Format. Units 1 and 3 are delivered asynchronously through the learning management system; Units 2 and 4 are yard and road driving, scheduled in three-hour training blocks (20 blocks in Proficiency Development I and 14 in Proficiency Development II). CDL-A and CDL-B courses start weekly through 2026. The estimated completion time is 8 to 24 weeks for 160 clock hours.

Training blocks. Students who cancel a scheduled training block with less than 24 hours’ notice, or do not call or show, are charged contingency fees listed in the catalog.

Tuition: $5,230.00; other fees (physical and drug test, paid out of pocket): $200.00; registration fee: $70.00; total: $5,500.00.

Graduates may find entry-level employment as commercial vehicle operators in both intrastate and interstate transportation after receiving their Class A Commercial Driver’s License.

Licensed CDL-A drivers can work for a wide range of industries and organizations that transport goods or people, including freight and logistics companies, transportation and trucking companies, government agencies, and public transit systems.

Career services. Career Services are available to active students and graduates. Staff strive to meet every student before graduation for an exit interview that includes a customised job-search profile, an entry-level resume and a mock interview; they provide resume and interview help and work with local employers to match their needs with graduates’ skills. SCI does not guarantee employment or a specific starting salary.

Orientation. Before beginning their programmes, all new students attend an orientation session to hear about the campus and the learning experience and to meet the administrative staff, faculty and other students. Campus department directors explain the student support available and clarify students’ responsibilities and expectations. Students registered for distance-education courses also attend an online orientation that introduces the learning platform and the standards for postings, plagiarism, online etiquette and attendance.

Classes. SCI programmes run in three-week modules scheduled continuously (the AAS in Nursing runs in 15-week terms), and the externship module, where a programme has one, is six weeks. Learning new material may require at least five additional outside hours for every 20 hours spent in lecture or laboratory. To graduate you must complete all courses within the maximum time frame and earn a cumulative grade point average of 2.0; graduation ceremonies are typically held twice a year.

Support. Student services include tutoring, attendance advising and academic advising, and SCI gives referrals to community resources for housing, childcare, employment, transportation, mental health services and alcohol and drug counselling. SCI does not provide housing. Students receive skill badges to mark milestones and help market their skills.