CDL training in Rhode Island

3 CDL training programs with costs, results and funding that can make them free

2 schools offer these truck driving programs, and Rhode Island has approved every one for workforce funding. Each shows its price if you pay yourself and how past students did.

Truck drivers need a commercial driver's license, which generally takes a knowledge test and a driving test. Most drivers have a high school diploma and prepare at a professional truck driving school.¹ In Rhode Island, 3 of the 3 programs take students without a high school diploma.

See the 3 programs

How much does CDL training cost in Rhode Island?

$4,500 to $6,500

from the lowest-priced program to the highest, if you pay yourself

Finished the program: Not reported
Working 6 months later: Not reported
Earned a year, estimated: Not reported
Length: Not reported for most programs

Source: US Department of Labor, program year 2024 (July 2024 to June 2025). Only programs approved for workforce funding are listed; other schools in Rhode Island may also offer CDL training. How these figures are made

Is there free CDL training in Rhode Island?

Yes, if you qualify. Workforce funding can pay for any program on this page.²³
Ask an American Job Center whether you qualify, or call 1-877-872-5627.⁴
Or pay yourself. These programs cost $4,500 to $6,500.

Who qualifies, and other ways to pay: grants, company-paid training and the GI Bill

All 3 CDL training programs in Rhode Island approved for funding

3 programs

Class AIn personNo diploma needed
CDL Class A Training Program
Teamsters Local 251 Driving School, East Providence
No diploma needed
Teamsters Local 251 Driving School, East Providence · Class A · In person · No diploma needed
Earned a year, estimated$57,100
Price if you pay yourself$5,500
Program website, CDL Class A Training Program at Teamsters Local 251 Driving School
More details about CDL Class A Training Program at Teamsters Local 251 Driving School
Finished
87%
Working at 6 months
86%
Earned in a quarter
$14,273
Length
8 weeks, 40 hours a week
Cost of supplies
None listed
Students counted
345
a year, estimated
$57,100
price
$5,500
Class AIn personNo diploma needed
CDL Class A
International CDL, Johnston
No diploma needed
International CDL, Johnston · Class A · In person · No diploma needed
Earned a year, estimated$46,000
Price if you pay yourself$6,500
Program website, CDL Class A at International CDL
More details about CDL Class A at International CDL
Finished
83%
Working at 6 months
84%
Earned in a quarter
$11,493
Length
10 weeks, 22 hours a week
Cost of supplies
$75
Students counted
263
a year, estimated
$46,000
price
$6,500
Class BIn personNo diploma needed
CDL Class B
International CDL, Johnston
No diploma needed
International CDL, Johnston · Class B · In person · No diploma needed
Earned a year, estimated$44,600
Price if you pay yourself$4,500
Program website, CDL Class B at International CDL
More details about CDL Class B at International CDL
Finished
96%
Working at 6 months
60%
Earned in a quarter
$11,142
Length
10 weeks, 22 hours a week
Cost of supplies
$75
Students counted
31
a year, estimated
$44,600
price
$4,500

How to pay for CDL training in Rhode Island

Workforce funding can pay for CDL training in Rhode Island

Every program on this page is approved for public workforce funding, the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act. It can pay for training for eligible adults, people who lost their job and young people.²People on public assistance, with a low income or lacking basic skills come first, and veterans have priority.³

Ask at an American Job Center

Eligibility rules apply, and services vary from state to state. Your local American Job Center can tell you whether you qualify. The Department of Labor's page links to the center finder, or call 1-877-US-2JOBS (1-877-872-5627).⁴

Financial aid and grants for CDL training

Most students can get federal student aid for college, career school or trade school. A Federal Pell Grant, unlike a loan, usually doesn't have to be repaid. Ask the school whether its program qualifies.⁵⁶

Company-paid CDL training

Some trucking companies run their own schools and may pay the tuition if you drive for them for a set time, such as a year.⁷

GI Bill for CDL training

Veterans, service members and qualified dependents can use GI Bill benefits for non-college training programs.⁸

The program list does not show which programs accept these. Ask the school.

Where the Rhode Island truck driving program numbers come from

Which Rhode Island truck driving programs are on this list?

These are the truck driving programs Rhode Island approved for public workforce funding (the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act), as reported to the US Department of Labor for program year 2024 (July 2024 to June 2025). The list covers programs approved as of June 30, 2025. Schools that never applied for approval are missing, so this is a part of what Rhode Island offers.

How Rhode Island truck driving program prices are reported

The price is tuition and required fees for someone paying without workforce funding, as the school reported it. Prices under $100 are treated as not reported, because the file holds many blanks entered as $0. Check the current price with the school.

What the graduate results of these programs measure

The figures at the top of this page are the middle program among those that report results: half did better, half did worse. Results describe students who left each program in recent years: the share who finished, the share working in the second quarter after leaving, and the middle earnings of those working in that quarter. States report earnings for that one quarter because they take them from the wage reports employers file every three months. The yearly figure here is that quarter times four, rounded to the nearest $100: an estimate, and an early one, since it is measured about half a year after training. The quarter as reported is under "More details" on each program. Results are withheld for small programs, and they describe past students, so they are no guarantee.

Why do some truck driving programs say "Not reported"?

Where a school or the state left a field empty, or the Department of Labor withheld it, the page says "Not reported". Nothing here is estimated to fill a gap.

Why the kind of school is left off each program

The file also records whether a school is public, private or nonprofit, but those entries are wrong too often to print next to a school's name, so this page leaves them out.

Sources for the facts about CDL training in Rhode Island

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