South Bend, IN Truck Driving School

Truck driving is one of the fastest growing industries in the country, and carriers are looking for qualified and confident drivers all over the nation. With 50 years of experience, TDI offers leading CDL training programs that give our drivers that edge that gets them behind the wheel in just 3 weeks. Our South Bend truck driving school is one of our oldest and most popular campuses in the country, and it serves drivers from all over the midwest. We’ll prepare you to be the best and most well-trained driver out there, ready to serve the truck driving industry for years to come. 

Are you ready to start a new career in a rapidly growing and rewarding industry? Continue reading to learn more about TDI’s truck driving school South Bend residents can trust. 

Partner With the Best. A Few of Our Carrier Partners:

START YOUR JOURNEY WITH TDI

Truck Driver Institute’s South Bend truck driving school is well-known as one of the most respected truck driving schools in Indiana. Serving the area for over 45 years, the 18+ acre facility is a spacious, modern training center. South Bend, Indiana, is also a prime transportation spot, as the Midwest is a national transportation hub. Truck driving schools in Indiana and other areas of the midwest are prime locations, as planes, trains, trucks, and other transport vehicles typically travel right through on their way to other destinations! This makes our South Bend location the perfect place to begin your journey and find your next destination. You’ll have the time, space, and support to start your long-standing career in the truck driving industry.

3-WEEK TRAINING. Over 80% JOB PLACEMENT.

Our 3-week training program is widely regarded as one of the most complete and comprehensive in the nation. That’s because we have decades and decades of experience in working with the country’s leading carrier companies to produce the best drivers in the industry today. We help place you with the best possible match for you and your employer, which means longer-lasting placements and happier drivers. If we don’t find you a match right after graduation, we’ll continue to help you do so until you have been matched. Our drivers are some of the most dedicated out there–we ensure you’ll be just as dedicated as we are to helping you find a bright future.

Accelerate Your Future

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Best CDL Training Indiana Has to Offer

Open yourself up to a world of employment opportunities with the kind of CDL Training Indiana job-seekers shouldn’t miss out on. Our training is some of the most in-depth, and our instructors are well-versed and experienced in the field. CDL training is a vital resource for any upcoming big truck driver and luckily, the best options for CDL training are right here in Indiana at the Truck Driving Institute. CDL training is vital to being licensed to drive and handle different types of freight and gaining the experience needed. CDL training offers you many avenues, meaning you will have more choices for your future! Although CDL training may take quite a bit of effort and a boatload of time, truck drivers everywhere can reap the benefits of this rewarding commercial license and carve out a great future for themselves. It can be daunting to make the decision to pursue formal training for your CDL license, but the process is wholly beneficial and a practical expense that keeps on giving. Benefits can include more choice of what you would like to drive and get rid of any possible limitations based on only obtaining one type of CDL–more pay based on experience and licensure, more access to other employers that TDI works with, and more. If you’re still on the fence about getting your CDL training from TDI, take a look at some of the awesome advantages below that our premiere driving school offers.

Benefits of CDL Training with TDI

While it is possible to tackle the CDL License exam on your own, an efficient CDL training brings you up to speed in the way solo studying just can’t beat! Our CDL instructors will guide you every step of the way, but allow you the freedom to gain the experience necessary to being a well-rounded CDL truck driver. Here are some of the great aspects of attending TDI’s truck driving school South Bend.

Preparation

With TDI, you can get the preparation you need for your CDL license exam with us. Formal CDL training offers a certain level of readiness that is incomparable to self-study. You’ll have all the help you need when you need it. Our instructors are there to help you be the best you can be. Know the TDI difference with the following exclusive offers:

  • Hands on training – There’s exclusive hands-on, behind-the-wheel training that you wouldn’t get on your own. Our students get to test drive the semi trucks they’ll be handling in their career and get first hand experience operating an 18-wheeler in real life. Other self-taught truck drivers won’t have this exclusive access and will just be starting when they take their CDL test. As a TDI student, however, you will have exclusive access and additional help when test-driving on a training course and on real roads. You’ll be the most experienced new truck driver out there!
    Experienced Teachers – If there’s one thing to know about us, it’s that TDI teachers know their stuff. Get your lessons taught by highly knowledgeable and accessible teachers, who love offering first account advice, an indispensable component of any education. Our instructors have all once been in your shoes and are there to help prevent any of the newbie mistakes they once made. They’ll be there to support you and your many questions every turn of the 18-wheeler wheel.
  • Bonus Knowledge – Learning through this sort of informal education offers invaluable experiences, while adhering to a success-proven curriculum. TDI takes the guesswork out of your education and adds in tidbits of information from real trucking companies that will benefit you in the long run. You’ll receive all the theoretical, hypothetical, and real-world knowledge that will make you an experienced truck driver. It’s this access to information outside of a textbook that makes a difference. That means, you’ll get to learn how to plan trip logs and best practices for large capacity loads. TDI offers bonus knowledge in the form of tips and tricks not included in your textbooks.

TDI vs. Vocational School

TDI Vocational School
ELDT training X
Ongoing job placement X
Comprehensive 3-week program X
Hands-on training (no simulators) X
On-site training and testing X
Established since 1973 X
80% job placement with the carrier of your choice X
Freedom to choose your employer X
Contract requirements with carriers X
Lower pay right out of graduation X
Simulator training X

Connections

When looking into truck driving school South Bend, Indiana drivers know the importance of an education from TDI instructors. While building a strong platform to teach driver’s the needed information for the three-part CDL licensing exam, educations also manage to guide drivers through the process and give them time maneuvering a semi. The experience of our instructors is an added value of the course, but also the strong connections that form between the student and the teacher. Our teachers are the backbone of our program and they’re committed to turning every student into a trucker.

Moreover, TDI facilitates a partnership between our students and our many affiliates. Yes, it’s true: a program for CDL training Indiana employers pick their employees from. We make the connections that dictate the first steps in your career by linking you with job placement resources that bring on opportunities. You can enter into the truck driving world with the highest confidence on your shoulders and TDI right behind you, backing every step you take in this profitable field.

So you can get a better idea for how things work around here, here’s a quick breakdown of our 3 week training program:

Week 1

The first week involves the majority of your classroom time, and it’s centered around getting your CDL permit. The CDL permit is a necessary piece of documentation for your behind-the-wheel training later on.

In addition, this first week acts like a primer for all the required non-driving skills you need as a truck driver. Our students learn the ins-and-outs of trip planning, cargo claims, maintenance basics, writing driver’s logs, map inspection, weight scales, Smith systems, and more.

The first week of truck driving school is also when you’re introduced to our placement experts. Depending on your career goals, your regional preferences, and benefits you’re looking for, the placement expert works with you to craft a plan for employment after you get your CDL at TDI.

Week 2

The second week is when you get your behind-the-wheel training. Over the course of the second week, our students work closely with our driving instructors who have years and years of on-the-road experience.

The majority of your driving training takes place on our private, multi acre range. It’s separated from the main roads, and it’s a great place for new drivers to get comfortable behind the wheel before hitting the streets.

After some time on the private courses, our instructors take our students out for some low-traffic driving sessions during the day.

Week 3

The third and final week is where you apply everything you’ve learned in the classroom and on our private course. Our instructors walk you through high-traffic, night driving, and other complex road conditions until you’re comfortable and confident in the driver’s seat.

After that, all that’s left to do is take your final exam. This involves a mixture of highway driving and on-site drills. After you pass, you receive your professional CDL that certifies you to operate a full sized 18 wheeler.

As you may have noticed, we begin the job placement process long before you even set foot in a truck. TDI is a results-driven school, and we do the best we can to make sure you’re paired with a new job after you’ve left our truck driving schools in Indiana. Some students are selected before they graduate!

Truck Driver, TDI, and the Future You

Truck driving has always been a recession-proof career regardless of the day, month, year, or decade. One of the critical indicators of a recession is when personal consumption expenditure increases for the national average. This means that the more people buy goods or treat themselves to something, the more likely a recession will be. But which industry benefits from more economic consumption and expenditure? The transportation and truck driving industry! The more money spent, the more goods transferred nationwide–meaning truck driving jobs will always be safe during a recession.

Want a convenient place to take your CDL exam?

Truck Driver Institute offers outside CDL testing at this location for all students, regardless of their affiliation with TDI.

Looking for a Nearby Truck Driving School in Southbend? 
Many of our students live out of area but still choose our Indiana truck driving schools because of the high-quality training and established partnerships with major carriers throughout the United States. Our South Bend location is within range for many people living in Elkhart, IN, Gary, IN, and even southern Michigan, Kalamazoo, MI, and across the Midwest

Since you are not required to be an Indiana resident to train for your CDL license here, out-of-state students are also welcome!

Jon and Tammy Walker

Tennessee truck driving schoolTruck Driver Institute was the best choice for us. TDI allowed us to explore all carriers opportunities. The instructors were top notch, caring supportive and patient. We would recommend TDI to anyone interested in a career in the trucking industry.

Our Truck Driving School South Bend Location

24645 S.R. 23
South Bend, IN 46614
United States (US)
Phone: 1-800-848-7364

CALL US TODAY AT 800-848-7364

You can also contact us by filling out this quick and easy contact form. Once submitted we will be in contact with you as soon as we can.

*For Post 9/11 GI Bill® (Ch 33) students and VA Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment (Ch 31) students, our tuition policy complies with 38 USC 3679(e) which means Post 9/11 and Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment students will not be charged or otherwise penalized due to a delay in VA tuition and fee payments.  For eligibility consideration, a Post 9/11 GI Bill® student must submit a VA Certificate of Eligibility (COE) and a Vocational Rehabilitation Student must provide a VAF 28-1905 form. Students must provide school with a Certificate of Eligibility (COE) prior to beginning class, but not later than the first day of training. A print screen of Statement of Benefits page will be accepted in lieu of COE and verification of benefits will be required.  Please see 38 USC 3679(e) for complete details. GI Bill® is a registered trademark of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). More information about education benefits offered by VA is available at the official U.S. government website at www.benefits.va.gov/gibill