Commercial Drivers License (CDL)
Earn your Class A CDL through the NIC Workforce Training Center
In just a few short weeks, you could be earning an excellent living as a Class A commercial vehicle operator. Our Entry Level Driver Training (ELDT) program is meant for the Idaho driver interested in gaining relevant skills for both local and interstate driving. You’ll learn from seasoned theory and skills instructors in a small-group environment of no more than four students per start date. We provide you with a week of self-paced theory work and up to three weeks of full-time skills training to ensure you get the learning time you need to succeed.
Enroll Now
CDL Registration Information and Student Task List
Questions? Contact NIC Workforce Training Center at nicworkforcetraining@nic.edu or 208-769-3333
About The Course
Our Class A Entry Level Driver Training course includes up to four weeks of competency-based training that meets the needs of the new federal requirements. Students can expect to commit to up to four weeks of training.
- Week 1:
- Theory training: approximately 30 - 40 hours of online content (flexible schedule with suggested daily workloads)
- Orientation: 1-2 hours; in-person format; 5 p.m. on the Tuesday of your online theory week; held 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 and length may vary based on instructor availability and student competency—plan to commit 8 hours per day); held at the Parker Technical Education Center in Rathdrum
- Post-Completion:
- Idaho Skills Test: 2-3 hours; in-person format using NIC equipment; test is scheduled when the student has been signed off by a skills instructor as having met all competencies and is ready to test; typically scheduled the Saturday after the last day of training, pending state proctor's availability
To be accepted into the NIC Entry Level Driver Training program, students must:
- Be an Idaho resident and hold a current, valid Idaho driver’s license (we cannot currently accept Washington residents at this time; we can, on occasion, provide training to certain other out-of-state students—please contact us for more info if you are from a state other than Washington)
- Be able to produce a clean driving record from all states they’ve resided in for the last three years
- Be 18 years of age for in-state driving and 21 for inter-state driving or are from out-of-state
- Per federal and state DOT guidelines, 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”
- 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’ we include in the course fee:
- DOT physical and drug screen fee at NW Urgent Care Occupational Medicine (students who’ve recently completed a physical are eligible for a $110 discount)
- One week of online theory training and an in-person orientation
- Hazardous materials endorsement theory training, now required for new CDL drivers who’ve not previously held the endorsement(Starting January 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 FMCSA’s Training Provider Registry system
- 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
- Students will agree to and abide by codes of conduct and liability acknowledgement policies, including NIC’s Tobacco-Free College Guideline
- Due to high demand, this course requires 100% attendance. Unexcused absences will be re-scheduled at the convenience of our instructor’s schedule and may be assessed fees of up to $100/hr
- Students must arrive each day on on-time, engaged, and ready to follow all directions of, promptly communicate with, and respond to instructors and NIC staff
- Students will be courteous and mindful of those training alongside them in this rigorous co-learning environment
- Students will be forthcoming with their instructors about their confidence level as they progress through the weeks to avoid comprehension gaps prior to the first skills test
- Failure to meet these expectations could result in dismissal from the program
Idaho LAUNCH
Do you work in Idaho? You may qualify for 90% tuition assistance for training and education. Complete and submit the form below and a career planner from the Idaho Department of Labor or Equus will contact you, help you with your research, and evaluate the amount of funding available to you.
Questions?
Contact NIC Workforce Training Center at nicworkforcetraining@nic.edu or 208-769-3333