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CDL training in Iowa

33 CDL (commercial driver's license) training programs with costs, results and funding that can make them free

21 schools offer these truck driving programs, and Iowa 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 Since February 7, 2022, federal rules require anyone getting a Class A or B license for the first time, or upgrading to one, to train with a provider on FMCSA's Training Provider Registry.2

In Iowa, 29 of the 33 programs take students without a high school diploma, 3 ask for a diploma or equivalent and 1 asks for earlier courses first.

By kind, the 33 programs here are Class A (14 programs), CDL (class not stated, 9 programs), Class B (7 programs), endorsements and permit prep (1 program), and 2 more of 2 other kinds.

See the 33 programs

How much does CDL training cost in Iowa?

$2,000 to $4,995 is what most CDL training programs in Iowa cost if you pay yourself

That is the middle half of the 33 programs with a price. All of them: $899 to $7,495

In the typical program

Finished the program
81%
Working 6 months later
80%
Earned a year, estimated
about $45,100
Length
2 to 5 weeks

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

Is there free CDL training in Iowa?

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

All 33 CDL training programs in Iowa approved for WIOA funding

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33 programs

How to pay for CDL training in Iowa

WIOA funding can pay for CDL training in Iowa

Every program on this page is approved for it. Whether you qualify, how much your local area pays and how to apply are on our page Does WIOA pay for job training?

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.78

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.9

GI Bill for CDL training

Veterans, service members and qualified dependents can use GI Bill benefits for non-college training programs.10

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

Quick facts: CDL training in Iowa

programs with a price cost under $2,000
7 of 33
lowest typical price among the states with enough programs to compare
24th of 45
other states where the typical program's graduates earned less
16 of 41
CDL training programs here, against the typical state's 35
33 vs 35

State comparisons use the same figures as the CDL training by state table: the middle program of each state, and only states with three or more schools for prices. Source: US Department of Labor, program year 2024 (July 2024 to June 2025).

CDL training in Omaha, Cedar Rapids, Waterloo and other Iowa cities

Choosing an area filters the program list above. 10 more programs are in 8 other areas, 5 in smaller cities and towns.

Other training in Iowa

How CDL training compares with the rest of transportation and logistics: Transportation and logistics training in Iowa

Where the Iowa truck driving program numbers come from

Which Iowa truck driving programs are on this list?

These are the truck driving programs Iowa approved for WIOA funding (public workforce funding under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act), as reported to the US Department of Labor for program year 2024 (July 2024 to June 2025). Each state keeps its approved programs on an eligible training provider list (ETPL).11 The list here covers programs approved as of June 30, 2025. Schools that never applied for approval are missing, so this is a part of what Iowa offers.

How the prices and results of Iowa truck driving programs are measured

Prices are tuition and required fees for someone paying without workforce funding, as the school reported them; check the current price with the school. Results describe students who left each program in recent years, so they are no guarantee, and the yearly earnings are the reported quarter times four, an estimate. A program without a "Trained with WIOA funding" line may still take WIOA students. Where a field was left empty or withheld, the page says "Not reported", and "Left out" where a figure was filed but failed one of our checks; nothing is estimated to fill a gap. Where the numbers come from explains each figure in full.

Sources for the facts about CDL training in Iowa

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  1. US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook: Heavy and Tractor-trailer Truck Drivers
  2. Electronic Code of Federal Regulations: 49 CFR part 380, subpart F, Entry-level driver training requirements
  3. US Department of Labor, TrainingProviderResults.gov: About This Site
  4. US Department of Labor: WIOA Adult Program
  5. Code of Federal Regulations, title 20, part 680, sections 680.220, 680.230 and 680.310: career services before training, other grants such as Pell Grants first, and limits on Individual Training Accounts (GovInfo, 2024 edition)
  6. US Department of Labor: American Job Centers
  7. US Department of Education, Federal Student Aid: Eligibility for Federal Student Aid
  8. US Department of Education, Federal Student Aid: Don't Miss Out on Federal Pell Grants
  9. Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, Motor Carrier Safety Advisory Committee: Task 21-1 discussion notes (2021)
  10. US Department of Veterans Affairs: GI Bill benefits for non-college degree programs
  11. US Department of Labor, Training and Employment Guidance Letter 8-19, Attachment I: Requirements for Training Providers, Program Eligibility, and the State Eligible Training Provider (ETP) List