Federal Data — September 2026
CDL Schools: The Fastest Payback In US Vocational Training
Commercial driving programs pay back faster than any other trade credential measured. Here is the federal data behind that, and the schools that deliver it.
See The SchoolsU.S. Department of Education data. No school paid to be listed.
Across the 87 US institutions that report both figures, a CDL or truck driving program leaves $7,875 of median federal debt and produces $43,827 of median earnings one year after completion. That works out at 2.0 months of gross pay to cover the debt, against a national median of 4.7 months across all vocational programs.
No other vocational credential in the federal data pays for itself as quickly as a commercial driving certificate.
Only the certificate route has enough reporting institutions to publish a national median for this field: $7,790 of median debt against $43,822 of first-year earnings, across 88 programs.
The table below ranks the individual schools. Every number is reproduced from the federal files, and the method is the same one behind our payback ranking of 58 programs and our ranking of 153 institutions.
The Numbers
CDL and Truck Driving at a glance
School By School
The 60 CDL or truck driving programs with the strongest reported outcomes
Filter by state. Click any column heading to sort. Lower is better.
| # | School▲▼ | Credential▲▼ | Months▲▼ | Debt▲▼ | Earnings▲▼ | Completion▲▼ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Elgin Community CollegeElgin, IL | Certificate | 0.9 | $4,008 | $51,945 | 41% |
| 2 | Johnson County Community CollegeOverland Park, KS | Certificate | 0.9 | $5,775 | $74,114 | 31% |
| 3 | North American Trade SchoolsBaltimore, MD | Certificate | 0.9 | $3,403 | $43,827 | 69% |
| 4 | Rosedale Technical CollegePittsburgh, PA | Certificate | 0.9 | $3,325 | $43,415 | 81% |
| 5 | Hagerstown Community CollegeHagerstown, MD | Certificate | 1.1 | $4,750 | $53,495 | 39% |
| 6 | Riverland Community CollegeAustin, MN | Certificate | 1.2 | $4,750 | $45,619 | 52% |
| 7 | Lincoln Land Community CollegeSpringfield, IL | Certificate | 1.3 | $5,500 | $49,142 | 48% |
| 8 | New England Tractor Trailer Training School of Rhode IslandPawtucket, RI | Certificate | 1.5 | $6,333 | $51,761 | 81% |
| 9 | Fox Valley Technical CollegeAppleton, WI | Certificate | 1.5 | $8,250 | $67,999 | 65% |
| 10 | New England Tractor Trailer Training School of MassachusettsNorth Andover, MA | Certificate | 1.5 | $6,333 | $51,761 | 74% |
| 11 | Fortis Institute-Forty FortForty Fort, PA | Certificate | 1.6 | $6,333 | $46,797 | 71% |
| 12 | Hamrick SchoolMedina, OH | Certificate | 1.6 | $6,333 | $47,287 | 86% |
| 13 | Fortis Institute-ScrantonScranton, PA | Certificate | 1.6 | $6,333 | $46,797 | 46% |
| 14 | New England Tractor Trailer Training School of ConnecticutSomers, CT | Certificate | 1.8 | $6,333 | $43,172 | 69% |
| 15 | All-State Career SchoolEssington, PA | Certificate | 1.8 | $6,333 | $43,092 | 53% |
| 16 | All-State Career-BaltimoreBaltimore, MD | Certificate | 1.8 | $6,333 | $43,160 | 60% |
| 17 | All-State Career School-PittsburghWest Mifflin, PA | Certificate | 1.8 | $6,333 | $43,160 | 75% |
| 18 | New England Tractor Trailer Training School of CT-BridgeportBridgeport, CT | Certificate | 1.8 | $6,333 | $43,172 | 74% |
| 19 | Diesel Driving Academy-ShreveportShreveport, LA | Certificate | 1.9 | $6,333 | $38,978 | 73% |
| 20 | Advanced Career InstituteVisalia, CA | Certificate | 1.9 | $6,201 | $38,651 | 81% |
| 21 | Miller-Motte College-Arizona Automotive InstituteGlendale, AZ | Certificate | 2.0 | $7,875 | $46,909 | 61% |
| 22 | Hazard Community and Technical CollegeHazard, KY | Certificate | 2.0 | $7,473 | $43,818 | 48% |
| 23 | Central Lakes College-BrainerdBrainerd, MN | Certificate | 2.0 | $10,846 | $64,164 | 53% |
| 24 | Miller-Motte College-Berks Technical InstituteWyomissing, PA | Certificate | 2.0 | $7,875 | $46,909 | 76% |
| 25 | South Texas Vocational Technical Institute-WeslacoWeslaco, TX | Certificate | 2.0 | $7,875 | $46,909 | 80% |
| 26 | Miller-Motte College-STVT-McAllenMcAllen, TX | Certificate | 2.0 | $7,875 | $46,909 | 78% |
| 27 | Tidewater Community CollegeNorfolk, VA | Certificate | 2.0 | $6,464 | $39,383 | 32% |
| 28 | Waukesha County Technical CollegePewaukee, WI | Certificate | 2.0 | $8,653 | $50,682 | 44% |
| 29 | Mid-EastCTC-Adult EducationZanesville, OH | Certificate | 2.0 | $6,333 | $37,227 | 72% |
| 30 | Miller-Motte College-Berks Technical Institute-LewisburgLewisburg, PA | Certificate | 2.0 | $7,875 | $46,909 | 66% |
| 31 | Miller-Motte College-ChattanoogaChattanooga, TN | Certificate | 2.0 | $7,875 | $46,909 | 60% |
| 32 | Miller-Motte College-RaleighRaleigh, NC | Certificate | 2.0 | $7,875 | $46,909 | 79% |
| 33 | Miller-Motte College-Berks Technical Institute-AllentownAllentown, PA | Certificate | 2.0 | $7,875 | $46,909 | 83% |
| 34 | South Texas Vocational Technical Institute-BrownsvilleBrownsville, TX | Certificate | 2.0 | $7,875 | $46,909 | 78% |
| 35 | Miller-Motte College-STVT-Corpus ChristiCorpus Christi, TX | Certificate | 2.0 | $7,875 | $46,909 | 68% |
| 36 | Miller-Motte College-FayettevilleFayetteville, NC | Certificate | 2.0 | $7,875 | $46,909 | 78% |
| 37 | Miller-Motte College-STVT-San AntonioSan Antonio, TX | Certificate | 2.0 | $7,875 | $46,909 | 69% |
| 38 | Miller-Motte College-JacksonvilleJacksonville, NC | Certificate | 2.0 | $7,875 | $46,909 | 75% |
| 39 | Miller-Motte College-AugustaAugusta, GA | Certificate | 2.0 | $7,875 | $46,909 | 59% |
| 40 | Southern Regional Technical CollegeThomasville, GA | Certificate | 2.0 | $5,677 | $34,746 | 31% |
| 41 | Miller-Motte College-STVT-ArlingtonArlington, TX | Certificate | 2.0 | $7,875 | $46,909 | 84% |
| 42 | State Technical College of MissouriLinn, MO | Certificate | 2.1 | $8,750 | $50,941 | 84% |
| 43 | Diesel Driving Academy-Baton RougeBaton Rouge, LA | Certificate | 2.1 | $6,333 | $35,588 | 75% |
| 44 | Midwest Technical Institute-IllinoisSpringfield, IL | Certificate | 2.1 | $6,333 | $36,234 | 69% |
| 45 | Delta Technical College-MississippiHorn Lake, MS | Certificate | 2.1 | $6,333 | $36,234 | 71% |
| 46 | Midwest Technical Institute-MissouriSpringfield, MO | Certificate | 2.1 | $6,333 | $36,234 | 80% |
| 47 | Wiregrass Georgia Technical CollegeValdosta, GA | Certificate | 2.2 | $8,272 | $45,696 | 50% |
| 48 | Community College of Allegheny CountyPittsburgh, PA | Certificate | 2.2 | $11,000 | $59,330 | 24% |
| 49 | New Castle School of TradesNew Castle, PA | Certificate | 2.2 | $7,544 | $41,747 | 76% |
| 50 | CET-San JoseSan Jose, CA | Certificate | 2.3 | $6,650 | $34,665 | 81% |
| 51 | CET-El CentroEl Centro, CA | Certificate | 2.3 | $6,650 | $34,665 | 93% |
| 52 | CET-El PasoEl Paso, TX | Certificate | 2.3 | $6,650 | $34,665 | 64% |
| 53 | CET-SoledadSoledad, CA | Certificate | 2.3 | $6,650 | $34,665 | 81% |
| 54 | Crowder CollegeNeosho, MO | Certificate | 2.5 | $8,400 | $40,759 | 49% |
| 55 | HDS Truck Driving InstituteTucson, AZ | Certificate | 2.5 | $7,706 | $36,576 | 83% |
| 56 | Fortis College-Cuyahoga FallsCuyahoga Falls, OH | Certificate | 2.5 | $6,333 | $30,416 | 47% |
| 57 | West Georgia Technical CollegeWaco, GA | Certificate | 2.6 | $9,500 | $43,072 | 35% |
| 58 | South Georgia Technical CollegeAmericus, GA | Certificate | 2.7 | $9,500 | $42,551 | 61% |
| 59 | Athens Technical CollegeAthens, GA | Certificate | 2.8 | $9,500 | $40,571 | 51% |
| 60 | M T Training CenterDesoto, TX | Certificate | 2.8 | $6,754 | $28,532 | 83% |
Source: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, Most Recent Cohorts by Field of Study and by Institution (published 9 June 2026), CIP 4902. 87 institutions report this program with both debt and earnings; the 60 with the fastest payback are shown. Debt is median federal Stafford and Grad PLUS loan debt of completers; earnings are median earnings one year after completion; completion is the institution’s published rate.
Read It Carefully
What these figures do not tell you
It is a ratio, not a repayment plan
Months of gross pay to cover the debt is a way of comparing programs on one consistent basis. Nobody repays a loan with their entire gross salary.
Local wages move the numbers
The same program pays differently in different labour markets. Use the state filter and compare within a state before comparing across the country.
Only federal loan debt is counted
Cash payments, private loans and employer sponsorship are invisible here. A school whose students pay out of pocket shows low debt without being cheap.
One year out is an early snapshot
Trades where pay climbs steeply with experience are penalised by a first-year measure. Absence from the table usually means suppressed data, not a poor school.
Go Deeper
The wider picture
Related Reading
Before you choose a program
For School Operators
If you run one of these programs
By State
The same ranking, one state at a time
Local wages shape earnings as much as the school does, so comparing programs inside a single state is more informative than comparing across the country. These 9 states have at least three ranked institutions each, covering 52 of the 87 in the national table.
Use This Data
Want your own program’s numbers against this benchmark?
We run this analysis for individual schools, program by program, against their own federal data. Where the answer is good, it is the strongest recruitment argument a school owns, and almost nobody publishes it.
Book Your Free Enrollment AuditBy application only — reserved for trade and vocational school operators enrolling 50+ students a year.