In just a few short weeks, you could be earning an excellent living as a Class A commercial vehicle operator. Our Class A CDL training is meant for the Idaho driver interested in gaining relevant skills for both local and interstate driving. Training is comprehension-based: we train you to be an excellent driver, not just to pass the test. You’ll learn from seasoned driving instructors in a small-group environment of no more than three students at a time. We provide you with up to three weeks of full-time skills training to ensure you get the learning time you need to succeed.
As of February 2022, those interested in earning their commercial driver's license must do so through a federally registered training provider per the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. NIC's Entry Level Driver Training program is an approved, federally registered program.
Beginning with the cohort that begins Jan. 23, 2023, the Class A Entry Level Driver Training program will cost $4,795 and will include hazardous materials (hazmat) theory training.
Students will be responsible for commercial permit test and fees, endorsements, and CDL licensing fees.
Our Class A Entry Level Driver Training course schedule is as follows:
- Week 1:
- Theory training: approximately 30 - 40 hours of self-paced online content
- Orientation: 1-2 hours; in-person format; 5 p.m. on the Tuesday of your online theory week; at Parker Technical Education Center in Rathdrum
- Weeks 2-4:
- Skills training: up to 15 days of competency-based learning; in-person format; Monday-Friday; schedule/length may vary based on instructor availability and student competency; plan to commit 8 hours per day; at Parker Technical Education Center in Rathdrum
- Post-Completion:
- Idaho Skills Test: 2-3 hours; in-person format using NIC equipment; test is scheduled when student competencies have been signed off by a skills instructor
To register and participate in NIC’s CDL training program, you must:
- Be an Idaho resident and hold a current, valid Idaho driver’s license. We currently only accept Idaho students. We can, on occasion, provide training to certain out-of-state students. Contact us for more information.
- Be able to produce a clean driving record from all states you’ve resided in for the last three years.
- Be 18 years old for in-state driving; and be 21 years old for interstate driving or if you are from out-of-state.
- Be able to “read and speak the English language sufficiently to converse with the general public, to understand highway traffic signs and signals in the English language, to respond to official inquiries and to make entries on reports and records,” per federal and state DOT guidelines.
- Be able to complete a DOT physical and drug screen, provide all necessary documentation and obtain a Commercial Learner’s Permit before the start of training.
- Register and pay for the program in full (or have an approved payment plan arrangement) before the start of training.
What’s included in the course fee?
- DOT physical and drug screen fee at NW Urgent Care Occupational Medicine. Students who have recently completed a physical are eligible for a $110 discount.
- One week of online theory training and in-person orientation.
- Hazardous materials endorsement theory training – required for new CDL drivers who’ve not previously held the endorsement, effective Jan. 23, 2023.
- Up to three weeks of hands-on skills training.
- Voucher for your first Idaho state skills test and use of NIC equipment for the test.
- Student record administration into the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s Training Provider Registry system.
What's not included in the course fee?
- Commercial learner’s permit exam/licensure fees.
- CDL licensure fees.
- Additional training required in the event of a skills test failure.
- Additional skills test fees (proctor fee, vehicle use fee) beyond the first attempt.
Do you live in Idaho? You may qualify for up to 100% tuition assistance for training and education. Apply for tuition assistance and a career planner from the Idaho Department of Labor will contact you, help you with your research and evaluate the amount of funding available to you.