Class B Basic Plan
Train for straight trucks, delivery vehicles, and local driving careers with focused Class B CDL instruction.
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What this plan covers
The Class B CDL Basic Plan provides hands-on training for operating straight trucks, box trucks, dump trucks, buses, and specialized commercial equipment — following the FMCSA's Entry-Level Driver Training (ELDT) curriculum. Students learn DOT safety regulations, air brake systems, logbook basics, and the parking, backing, and road maneuvers the CDL exam demands.
Class B is the home-every-night license: delivery box trucks, dump trucks, buses, and municipal equipment all run on it, and most of those routes stay local to the Inland Empire. At 120 clock hours it's also the shorter program — a faster, lower-cost path into commercial driving than Class A.
If you later decide you want tractor-trailers, nothing is wasted — the inspections, air-brake knowledge, and backing skills carry straight over to Class A training.
- Operate straight trucks and local commercial equipment
- Understand air brake systems and emergency protocols
- Learn DOT safety, hours of service, and logbook basics
- Prepare for CDL testing and local job opportunities
Program curriculum
120 clock hours — 15 theory (online, self-paced) + 105 behind-the-wheel
Theory — 15 hours
- Basic operation: orientation, control systems & dashboard, pre/post-trip inspections, basic control, shifting & operating transmissions, backing and docking
- Safe operating procedures: visual search, communication, distracted driving, speed & space management, night operation, extreme driving conditions
- Advanced practices: hazard perception, skid control & recovery, jackknifing and other emergencies, railroad-highway grade crossings
- Vehicle systems: identifying and diagnosing malfunctions, roadside inspections, maintenance
- Non-driving activities: cargo handling and documentation, environmental compliance, hours of service, fatigue and wellness, post-crash procedures, trip planning, drug & alcohol and medical requirements
Hands-on — 105 hours
- Range: outside vehicle inspection, in-cab & air brake testing, straight-line backing, off-set backing
- Road: turns, lane changes, curves at highway speed, interstate entry and exit, shifting, signaling, visual search, speed & space management, hazard perception, night and extreme conditions
Enrollment requirements
- Be at least 18 years of age
- Read and write English at a 10th-grade level (no other prior education required)
- Pass a DOT physical exam and a 5-panel drug test
- Hold a current Class C California driver's license
Physical exam and licensure fees are paid directly to the provider or the state — they are not collected by the school. Non-refundable CLP application fee to CA DMV: $89. Physical exam fee (varies by provider).
Training equipment
- 2013 Freightliner DD13 DayCab (manual)
- 2011 International DayCab (automatic)
- 2011 International DayCab (manual)
- 3 × 28ft MOTAC flatbed trailers
1-acre training yard in San Bernardino, by the 210, 15, and 215 freeways.