Kentucky, The Truckers Resource

Kentucky Trucking Schools

Truck driving careers in Kentucky can vary quite a bit. You will find opportunities throughout the state in a vast array of industries.

A Commercial Driver’s License or CDL is a requirement to drive certain vehicles in the United States. The vehicles that require a Class A CDL are those with a Gross Vehicle Weight Rating or GVWR of more than 26,000 pounds. If the vehicle being towed is at least 10,000 pounds a CDL is also necessary. The requirements to obtain a class A CDL in the state of Kentucky are established and standardized by the Department of Motor Vehicles and managed through the Kentucky State Police. You must be 18 to apply for a CDL and 21 if you want to transport materials across state lines.

The first thing eligible applicants must do is complete a Commercial Driver Licensing application. It is also necessary to complete a commercial driver license application 10 year history survey. This is a one-time requirement and lists all the states where you have had a license within the past 10 years. The fees to apply for a CDL are an $11 CDL permit fee and a $50 testing skills fee.

Local state police exam stations are responsible for administering the knowledge test that is required to get a CDL permit. The test consists of 50 questions that include information about vehicle inspection, handling cargo, operating under various conditions and an extra 20 questions about combination vehicles for the class A permit. The test can be taken up to four times before an additional $50 fee is assessed. 24 hours must pass between each testing attempt. The test requires answering at least 80 percent of the questions correctly to pass.

After passing the skills test, you’ll need to pass the road test in the class of vehicle you want to drive. It consists of three parts including a pre-trip inspection, off-road maneuvering and on-road driving assessment. The pre-trip inspection requires you to ensure that you know if a vehicle is safe to drive by inspecting various parts of the vehicle before driving. The control skills test involves maneuvering around lines or cones to show expertise in controlling the vehicle. Finally, the road test ensures that you can safely drive the vehicle on the road by making turns, curving, rural and city roads, multi-lane roads and driving on the expressway.

Find the closes testing facility here.

CDL classifications in Kentucky are as follows:

- I – Intrastate driving only

- K – Vehicles not equipped/air brakes

- S – School bus, mass transit, or non-profit

- L – Except Class A bus

- J – Except Class A and B bus

- O – Vehicles other than tractor trailers

To upgrade or modify any type of operator license in Kentucky, the total fee will be $47. This includes the fees for the application, permit and license.
Note: As of May 31, 2005, all CDL holders are required to go through a “hot file” check upon renewal to check for any warrants on CDL holders. The check is done by the Kentucky State Police, for a fee of $3 to the Circuit Court Clerk’s office. The check is immediate and won’t delay the renewal process.

Ashland Technical College
4818 Roberts Dr.
Ashland, KY 41102

Bell County Votech
1300 Chichester Ave.
Middleboro, KY 40965

Career Development Center
1190 Hwy 472 East
London, KY 40741

Champion Truck Driving School
256A Midland Trail
Mt. Sterling, KY 40353

Commonwealth Truck Driving School
2676 Cincinnati Pike
Georgetown, KY 40324

Delta Truck Driving Academy
2727 Kentronics Dr.
Owensboro, KY 42301

Kentucky Tech Truck Driver Training
831 Morgantown Rd.
Bowling Green, KY 42101

Kentucky Tech truck Driver Training
150 School St.
Madisonville, KY 42431

Laurel Technical College Truck Driver Training
235 S. Laurel Rd.
London, KY 40744

Phoenix Truck Driving Academy
335 E. Yusen Dr.
Georgetown, KY 40324

Professional Truck Driving School
300 N. Green St.
Henderson, KY 42420

Professional truck Driving School
2900 Dolphin Dr.
Elizabethtown, KY 42701