KLLM Driving Academy Review – Company Paid CDL Training

You want a career that pays a real wage, doesn’t disappear in the next round of layoffs, and doesn’t ask you to take on a mountain of student debt just to get started. Truck driving checks those boxes, and KLLM Driving Academy is built for people making exactly that kind of change. You can walk in with no experience and walk out with a Class-A commercial driver’s license, a paycheck, and a job waiting for you.

KLM, Inc. was created in 1963 under the ownership of Tom I. Kobuke, W.J. Liles, B.C. Lee, and Henry Moudy, Sr. In 1986, the company adopted the name KLLM Transport Services, using the last initial of the original founders to form the name KLLM.

Originally, KLLM Transport Services was a truck brokerage whose main order of business was transporting exempt goods across the southern United States. Now, KLLM Trucking hauls temperature-controlled products and dry goods, such as food, medical supplies, cosmetics, various chemicals, and paper products. KLLM has come a long way from its humble beginnings when it only had three tractor-trailer combos. Now, with a fleet of 1,500 tractors and 2,400 refrigerated tractor-trailers, KLLM Transport services all 48 contiguous states and Mexico on a daily basis.

Founded in 2013, KLLM Driving Academy has partnered with Hinds Community College to provide students with fully accredited truck driver training. With KLLM Driving Academy, you not only receive high-quality, state-of-the-art CDL training, you also receive college credit hours when you graduate.

Getting Paid to Earn Your CDL-A

The biggest thing standing between most people and a trucking career is money. A private CDL school can charge anywhere from $2,500 to $7,000, and that’s before you’ve earned a single paycheck. KLLM removes that wall entirely.

Attend the academy and sign a one-year agreement to drive for KLLM after you graduate, and your tuition is fully covered. You never pay anything. KLLM also pays for your travel to the academy, your hotel lodging while you’re there, and your permit, license, and testing fees. For most students, the out-of-pocket cost to attend is little to nothing.

Students who attend the Jackson, MS academy also receive a $200 incentive bonus during the 22 days of class. Classes start every single week, so there’s no long waitlist between deciding to change your life and actually starting. Academy-trained drivers have the potential to earn more than $70,000 in their first year with KLLM, which is a strong first-year number for someone who started with zero industry experience.

Where KLLM Trains Its Drivers

The KLLM Driving Academy has two primary campuses:

• Jackson, MS (Midsouth)
• Lancaster, TX (Texas)

Residents of Illinois attend a KLLM academy location in Burns Harbor, IN, just across the state line in northwest Indiana, a short drive from the Chicago area. Between these campuses, the academy accepts entry-level students with no permit from Mississippi and Louisiana, along with permit holders from Alabama, Texas, Georgia, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Kansas, Iowa, Missouri, Arkansas, Tennessee, Virginia, and Pennsylvania. Refresher students are accepted from many states around the country, based on where KLLM is currently hiring.

At each location you’ll be trained on the same equipment you’ll be operating as a KLLM driver. This means hands-on experience behind the steering wheel of a refrigerated tractor-trailer and not just a computer simulator, although, you will practice shifting and steering using a simulator as well. Each KLLM Driving Academy is fully accredited by the state.

The KLLM trucking school in Lancaster, Texas is a 44,000 square-foot school outfitted with modern, state-of-the-art classrooms, a 4-acre backing range, and a practice road. The Texas facility also features a driving simulation lab, a refrigeration lab, electronic log lab, full-service cafeteria, and lodging facilities large enough to house 43 students. The residence hall even includes refrigerators, microwave ovens, cable television, free WiFi, laundry facilities, computer labs, and a study hall.

How the Program Is Structured

The paid CDL training program at KLLM Trucking is split up into three core sections:

1. Classroom Instruction
2. Driving Training
3. Internship Program

The full course runs 22 days for entry-level students. If you already hold your Commercial Learner’s Permit (CLP), the classroom portion is shorter and the course runs 18 days. Here’s what each phase actually looks like.

How the Three Training Phases Balance Each Other

The reason this program works for people with zero trucking background is the order it follows. You build knowledge first, then control, then real-world judgment, and each phase sets up the one after it. Nobody hands you the keys to an 80,000-pound rig and points you at the interstate on day one.

The classroom comes first because you can’t drive what you don’t understand. This phase gives you the rules, the vocabulary, and the safety knowledge you need to pass your Commercial Learner’s Permit exam and to make good decisions later. It’s the shortest-feeling part of the course, but it’s the foundation everything else stands on.

Next comes the driving range, a closed, traffic-free lot where you can make mistakes safely. You’ll spend roughly 12 days between the range and the road learning to back, turn, couple, and maneuver a tractor-trailer until the movements start to feel natural. Only after you’ve proven you can control the truck in a controlled space do you take it into traffic.

The final phase, your 240-hour over-the-road internship, is where all of it comes together with real freight, real deadlines, and a certified trainer in the passenger seat. Roughly speaking, the course moves from days of classroom theory, to about 12 days of hands-on range and road practice, to weeks of paid over-the-road experience. That progression is what turns a beginner into a driver KLLM is willing to hire.

What You’ll Learn in the Classroom at KLLM’s Paid CDL Training Program

In the classroom, you’ll prepare for the Class A Commercial Learner’s Permit (CLP) exam by listening to lectures, studying Department of Transportation rules and regulations, and going through exam prep textbooks and study aids. This phase also includes hands-on sessions in the tractor-simulator lab, the refrigerated-trailer lab, and the computer lab, with instructors helping you every step of the way as you prepare to test. You can expect to learn about the following:

• Truck Mechanical Systems
• Control Systems
• Communication Systems
• Proper Logging
• Hours & Service Requirements
• Map Reading
• Trip Planning
• Accident Procedures
• Hazard Perception
• DOT Rules & Regulations
• Cargo Documentation
• Weight Scales
• Pre-Trip Inspection
• Post-Trip Inspection
• CDL Exam Prep

Federal Regulations and Hours of Service

A big share of classroom time goes to Department of Transportation rules and regulations, because these govern everything you’ll do on the road. You’ll learn the federal hours-of-service requirements that dictate how long you can drive and when you must rest, along with how to keep an accurate electronic log to prove it.

You’ll also cover accident procedures and what to do if something goes wrong, hazard perception so you can spot trouble before it develops, and the documentation rules that keep you legal at weigh stations and scales. This material isn’t just exam filler. Getting it right is what keeps your license, and your record, clean.

Trip Planning, Maps, and Cargo Documentation

Knowing how to drive is only half the job. You also have to get a load from point A to point B on time and on route. Classroom sessions teach map reading and trip planning so you can chart a legal, efficient path, account for your hours, and avoid low bridges, restricted roads, and other surprises.

Because KLLM hauls temperature-controlled freight, you’ll learn how cargo documentation works, how to read the paperwork that travels with a load, and how weight scales and axle limits affect the way a trailer is loaded. These are the details that separate a driver who runs smoothly from one who’s constantly putting out fires.

Vehicle Systems and Inspection Knowledge

Before you ever touch the range, you’ll study how the truck itself works. That includes truck mechanical systems, the control systems inside the cab, and the communication systems you’ll use to stay in contact with dispatch. Understanding these makes you a more capable, more confident operator.

You’ll also learn the theory behind pre-trip and post-trip inspections here in the classroom, so that when you get to the range you already know what you’re looking for. By the time this phase wraps, you’ll be ready to sit for the CLP exam and move on to the part everyone’s waiting for. Once you pass the CLP exam and obtain your learner’s permit, you’ll move on to the next phase of the training program.

What You’ll Learn on the Driving Range at KLLM’s Paid CDL Training Program

The next phase of your truck driver training will take place inside the cab of a tractor-trailer as you learn backing maneuvers and other driving configurations on the practice range. You’ll spend roughly 12 days building these skills on the range and out on the road. First you’ll observe your instructor from inside the cab as he or she performs each maneuver. You’ll also observe your instructor from outside the tractor-trailer as he teaches you how to perform a pre-trip and post-trip inspection. Finally, you’ll get your hands on the steering wheel and will be guided by your instructor as you practice various driving maneuvers on the lot.

You’ll practice the following on the driving range:

• Pre-Trip Inspection
• Post-Trip Inspection
• Straight Line Backing
• Offset Backing
• Site Side Parallel Backing
• Blind Side Parallel Backing
• Alley Docking
• Coupling & Uncoupling
• Sliding 5th Wheel & Tandem
• Serpentine Maneuvers
• Cornering

Pre-Trip and Post-Trip Inspections

Every working day as a truck driver starts and ends with an inspection, so the range is where you make it second nature. Your instructor teaches you to walk the tractor and trailer, check the brakes, tires, lights, fluids, and coupling, and identify anything that would make the truck unsafe or illegal to operate.

This skill matters far beyond the CDL exam. A thorough pre-trip inspection is your first line of defense against breakdowns and roadside violations, and it’s a habit KLLM wants baked in before you ever run real freight.

Backing and Docking Maneuvers

Backing a 53-foot trailer is the skill that intimidates most new drivers, and it’s where you’ll spend a large share of your range time. You’ll practice straight-line backing, offset backing, sight-side and blind-side parallel backing, and alley docking until you can place the trailer where it needs to go without guessing.

These maneuvers show up every single day in the real world, whether you’re sliding into a tight dock at a grocery warehouse or lining up at a fuel island. Your instructor stays right there with you, correcting your angles and helping you read your mirrors, so you leave the range able to back with confidence.

Coupling, Uncoupling, and Trailer Handling

You’ll also learn to couple and uncouple the tractor and trailer safely, along with sliding the fifth wheel and tandems to keep your axle weights legal. These are the mechanical fundamentals of pulling a trailer, and doing them correctly protects both your equipment and everyone around you.

Rounding out the range work, you’ll practice serpentine maneuvers and cornering to get a feel for how the trailer tracks behind you through tight spaces. Once your instructor is satisfied you can handle the truck on the lot, you’re cleared to take it onto the practice road.

You’ll train on late-model automatic tractors, the same class of equipment you’ll drive once you upgrade to your own truck. Automatic transmissions let you keep more of your attention on the road, your mirrors, and the trailer behind you while you’re still learning, which is exactly where a new driver’s focus belongs.

What You’ll Learn Behind the Wheel on the Road at KLLM’s Paid CDL Training Program

Once your instructor feels that you’re ready for some road practice, he or she will take you onto the practice road and have you practice the following:

• Shifting Techniques
• RPM & Speed Control
• Clutch Control
• Turns
• Cornering
• Local Driving
• City Driving
• Highway Driving

The road work builds in a logical order. You start with quiet local streets to get a feel for the truck’s size and stopping distance, then move up to busier city driving with tighter turns and more traffic, and finally out onto the highway where you’ll hold a lane, manage your following distance, and handle merges. By the time you finish, the truck stops feeling enormous and starts feeling like a tool you know how to use.

Vehicle Control and Smooth Operation

Early road work focuses on the fundamentals of controlling the truck in motion: shifting techniques, RPM and speed control, clutch control, and smooth, deliberate turns and cornering. You’ll learn to keep the truck steady, brake early, and make the kind of gradual inputs that keep a heavy load under control.

Because KLLM’s fleet runs late-model automatic transmissions, much of your on-the-job driving will let you keep both hands on the wheel and your focus on the road. The range and road training still ground you in solid vehicle-control habits so you understand what the truck is doing beneath you at all times.

City, Local, and Highway Driving

Your road training builds in a deliberate order. You start on quieter local streets to get comfortable with the truck’s size and stopping distance, then progress to busier city driving with tighter turns, traffic lights, and pedestrians, and finally out onto the highway.

Highway driving teaches you to hold your lane, manage your following distance at speed, handle on-ramps and merges, and stay aware of everything around a vehicle that can’t stop or swerve quickly. By the end, the truck feels less like a giant and more like a tool you know how to use. From here you’ll test for your Class-A CDL.

Real Freight on Your Over-the-Road Internship

After you earn your CDL, the road training continues on your 240-hour over-the-road internship, and this is the most valuable classroom of all. Paired with a KLLM certified trainer and paid $812 per week, you’ll haul real loads as a team and take turns driving while your trainer coaches you through the whole pickup, transport, and delivery process.

You’ll practice trip planning for real, manage your hours on live loads, navigate real customer facilities, and learn the day-to-day rhythm of the job in a way no simulator can teach. When you pass your upgrade test at the end, you’re not just licensed. You’re genuinely ready to run on your own.

Once you’ll accumulated enough hours of range and road practice, you’ll take the Class A Commercial Driver’s License exam and obtain your Class A CDL. After you obtain your CDL, you’ll start the KLLM Internship Program.

The Equipment You’ll Train On

One of the strongest features of the KLLM Driving Academy is that you train on the same class of equipment you’ll operate as a working driver. There’s no learning on a worn-out, decades-old truck only to be handed something completely different on your first assignment. What you practice on is what you’ll drive.

The academy fleet is made up of late-model, well-maintained automatic tractors equipped with the same state-of-the-art technology found across KLLM’s operation. You’ll also spend time in a driving-simulation lab to safely rehearse shifting and steering, and in a refrigerated-trailer lab that reflects the temperature-controlled freight KLLM actually hauls.

Because the trucks are modern and properly maintained, you spend your training time learning to drive rather than fighting with unreliable equipment. Clean, current, well-kept tractors also build good habits, since you learn to treat the truck as the professional workspace it is from day one.

The Over-the-Road Internship

The KLLM Internship Program puts you on the road for 240 hours in total with a KLLM certified trainer. You’ll go on the road with a certified instructor and haul loads as a team. You and your instructor will take turns operating the tractor-trailer and he will help guide you through the entire pickup/transport/drop off process. You’ll earn $812 per week in training pay while you’re on the truck with your trainer, so you’re getting paid to build real miles and real experience before you’re ever on your own.

After you finish the 240 hours, you take an upgrade test. Pass it, and you have the opportunity to move into your own truck as a professional KLLM driver.

The Refresher Path for Returning CDL-A Holders

KLLM trucking school also offers a Refresher CDL paid training course for those of you who already have a Class A CDL but haven’t operated a tractor-trailer in awhile. The refresher is a 9-day course. You skip the classroom portion and head straight to driver training on the range and on the road, where experienced instructors get you back up to speed quickly. After graduating, you complete the same 240 hours of over-the-road training with a certified trainer before taking your upgrade test. As long as you work for KLLM Transport for at least 6 months after your training, your tuition will be paid for in full.

What You’ll Earn as a First-Year KLLM Driver

Pay is usually the reason people look at trucking in the first place, so let’s be straight about it. Academy-trained drivers have the potential to earn more than $70,000 in their first year with KLLM. That number depends on the type of driving you do, how many miles you run, and how consistently you work, but it’s a realistic target for a motivated new driver.

Most new company drivers start out over-the-road, where KLLM pays 55 to 65 cents per mile based on experience and pays you more as you gain it. Pay is calculated on practical miles, and OTR drivers earn paid earned time off so you’re compensated during your home time.

If staying closer to home matters more to you, KLLM’s regional company positions come with guaranteed weekly minimum pay options. The Southeast Regional and Midsouth Regional fleets offer a $1,700 per week guaranteed minimum, and the Midwest Regional fleet offers an $1,825 per week guaranteed minimum. A guaranteed weekly floor takes a lot of the “good week versus bad week” stress out of a new driver’s budget.

On top of mileage or guaranteed pay, KLLM offers a paid orientation, health, dental, vision, and life insurance, and a 401(k) retirement plan with company matching funds. You’re paid $225 for a virtual orientation that averages about six hours and can be completed on a phone, laptop, or smart device, which gets you earning sooner.

What the Pay Looks Like Once You Have Experience

The starting numbers matter, but the reason drivers stay with a carrier is what happens after a few years. KLLM’s pay is built to reward the drivers who stick around.

Because solo OTR pay runs on an experience-based scale, drivers with several years behind the wheel sit at the top end of that 55-to-65-cents-per-mile range rather than the bottom. Experienced drivers can also lock in the guaranteed weekly minimums on regional fleets, giving them a dependable paycheck without giving up strong earnings.

Drivers who want to push their income higher often move into expedited team driving. KLLM’s expedited teams run high-mile, cross-country lanes with 100% no-touch freight and 90% drop-and-hook, and they choose between two pay packages: 82 to 87 cents per mile with a guaranteed minimum weekly option, or 72 to 77 cents per mile with paid earned time off at $175 per day, per driver.

Then there’s the Million Mile Program, KLLM’s reward for longevity, safety, and loyalty. Million-Mile drivers earn an additional 2 cents per mile across the OTR, Regional, Dedicated, and Local fleets (salary-based drivers get an extra $40 per week), plus a unique tractor with an upgraded trim package, banquet recognition, and a shopping spree in the company store. It’s the kind of program that turns a first job into a long career.

Your Guaranteed Shot at a Job

Before you’re accepted, there are a few basic requirements. You must be at least 21 years old, have held a driver’s license for the 12 months before attending, and be drug-free. There’s no high school diploma or GED requirement to enroll. On your first day of class you’ll take a DOT urinalysis and a company-required hair follicle drug test.

Once you finish the required 240 hours of over-the-road training, KLLM will offer you employment if they feel you qualify. You can then choose to drive for KLLM Trucking or end your relationship with the company there and look for a driving position somewhere else. The final decision to hire is at KLLM’s discretion, so the same things that make a good student, showing up ready to work, taking instruction, and driving safely, are what earn you the offer.

If you agree to drive for KLLM Transport for at least 1 year after your training, you’ll automatically qualify for a $4,000 KLLM Scholarship (MS and IL locations only) which will cover the cost of your tuition. Put simply, drive one year with KLLM and your tuition is fully covered—you never pay anything out of pocket for it.

Choosing Your Lane at KLLM

One of the great aspects about KLLM Transport is that they have different types of driving positions to choose from (depending on the location), including:

• Over-The-Road (OTR)
• Regional
• Tyson Foods
• Dedicated
• Dray
• Less-Than-Truckload (LTL)
• Rail Driver
• Lease Purchase

Today, KLLM organizes its driver careers by zip code and home-time needs, and the current lineup includes:

• Over-the-Road (OTR): High miles across all 48 states, minus the greater New York City area, paid more for your experience.
• Regional (Southeast, Midwest, Midsouth): Runs that keep you closer to home, with guaranteed weekly minimum pay options for company drivers.
• Dedicated: Predictable miles and dedicated lanes or freight on a steady schedule.
• Expedited Team Driver: High-mile team freight on cross-country lanes with two pay packages to choose from.
• Intermodal: Local, home-daily runs no more than 190 miles from your area’s railhead for drivers who want to be home every night.
• Student-Trainer: Get paid for your own miles and your student’s miles, plus an upgrade bonus each time a student passes their road test.
• Lease-Purchase: An independent-contractor path available after six months as a company driver.

While KLLM Transport has many positions to choose from, don’t expect to choose the best position as a rookie driver. Like any other trucking company, a few years of driving experience, a good attitude, and a stellar safety record is your quickest way into a prime trucking position.

The lease-purchase program is worth understanding before you chase it. KLLM markets it as one of the strongest in the industry, with no down payment, no credit check, and a $1 buyout for a clear title at the end of the lease. It also carries real financial responsibility, since contractors cover their own truck costs. It’s a step best taken once you’ve spent time as a company driver, learned how the business runs, and know your numbers. That’s exactly why KLLM requires six months of company driving before you can lease.

A Closer Look at KLLM Truck Driving Jobs

Once you have your CDL and some experience, KLLM opens up several distinct career paths, each with its own schedule, pay structure, and home-time trade-offs. Here’s a closer look at what each job involves and what you can expect to earn. A quick note on the numbers: where KLLM publishes a per-mile rate rather than a set wage, the weekly and yearly figures below are estimates based on typical mileage for that kind of run. Actual pay rises and falls with the miles you drive, your location, and your experience.

Over-the-Road (OTR) Company Driver

OTR is where most academy graduates start. You’ll run high miles across all 48 states minus the greater New York City area, hauling KLLM’s temperature-controlled freight. A typical schedule has you out about two weeks and then home for four full days, with seven days out earning two days at home. Pets and riders are welcome, so your dog or your spouse can ride along.

KLLM pays OTR company drivers 55 to 65 cents per mile based on experience, and you’re paid more as you gain it. Academy-trained drivers have the potential to earn more than $70,000 in their first year, which works out to roughly $1,300 or more per week for a driver running strong, steady miles. Experienced drivers sit at the top of that pay scale, and the Million Mile Program adds another 2 cents per mile on top, pushing seasoned drivers’ weekly and annual earnings higher still.

Benefits include health, dental, vision, and life insurance, a 401(k) with company matching funds, paid earned time off, and a paid orientation ($225 for the virtual option). To be hired on directly, KLLM asks for a Class-A CDL with three months of recent experience, but academy graduates qualify by finishing the program and passing their upgrade test.

Southeast Regional Company Driver

If you’d rather stay closer to home, the Southeast Regional fleet runs out of the Atlanta area and keeps you on shorter, regional lanes across the Southeastern states. You’ll get better home time than OTR while still running good miles in late-model Freightliner, Kenworth, and Peterbilt tractors.

This position comes with a guaranteed weekly minimum pay option of $1,700, and the per-mile scale runs 60 to 80 cents per mile based on length of haul. That guaranteed floor works out to roughly $88,400 per year at $1,700 a week, with room to earn above it. Experienced drivers earn more, and Million Mile status adds to that.

Company drivers get health, dental, vision, and life insurance, a 401(k) with matching funds, and paid orientation. KLLM hires for this fleet across Georgia and the Southeastern states, and it looks for a Class-A CDL with three months of recent experience.

Midwest Regional Company Driver

Based out of the Chicago area, the Midwest Regional fleet is built the same way: regional runs through the Midwest that keep you closer to home with competitive pay. It’s a strong fit for drivers who live in the region and want to be home more often than an OTR schedule allows.

The Midwest Regional guaranteed weekly minimum pay option is $1,825, the highest of KLLM’s regional guarantees. At that weekly floor, earnings come out to about $94,900 per year, and drivers can earn beyond the minimum based on their runs and experience.

The benefits package matches the rest of KLLM’s company positions: full health, dental, vision, and life coverage, a matching 401(k), and paid orientation. You’ll need a Class-A CDL with recent experience and a home base within the fleet’s operating region.

Midsouth Regional Company Driver

The Midsouth Regional fleet runs out of Memphis, TN and Jackson, MS, and is designed for drivers who live within about 150 miles of either terminal. It’s currently a company-driver position offering great home time on regional runs through the Midsouth.

Like the Southeast fleet, Midsouth Regional carries a guaranteed weekly minimum pay option of $1,700, which annualizes to roughly $88,400 per year at that floor. Your actual paycheck can climb above the minimum depending on your miles and experience.

Drivers receive the standard KLLM benefits package of health, dental, vision, and life insurance, a 401(k) with match, and paid orientation. A Class-A CDL with recent experience and a home address inside the 150-mile radius are the main requirements.

Dedicated Company Driver

Dedicated driving means predictable miles on the same lanes or hauling for the same customer, which brings a steadier, more routine schedule than general OTR freight. If you like knowing roughly what your week will look like before it starts, dedicated is worth asking a recruiter about.

Dedicated pay is set by the specific account and your experience, and KLLM pays more for your Class-A CDL experience in these roles. Many dedicated positions deliver steady weekly paychecks in a range similar to KLLM’s regional fleets, commonly landing somewhere around $1,100 to $1,700 per week depending on the account, which annualizes to roughly $57,000 to $88,000 per year. Because each dedicated account is different, a recruiter can give you the exact weekly and yearly numbers for the ones open in your area.

Full benefits apply here too: health, dental, vision, and life insurance plus a matching 401(k). Availability depends on your zip code, and you’ll need a Class-A CDL with recent experience.

Expedited Team Driver

Expedited team driving is the high-mileage, high-earning end of KLLM’s lineup. You and a partner keep the truck moving on cross-country lanes with 100% no-touch freight and 90% drop-and-hook, so you’re driving and resting in shifts rather than loading and unloading.

There are two pay packages. Package 1 pays 82 to 87 cents per mile based on experience and mileage benchmarks, with a guaranteed minimum weekly pay option. Package 2 pays 72 to 77 cents per mile plus paid earned time off at $175 per day, per driver. Because teams rack up far more miles than solo drivers, earnings run well above solo levels. As an illustration, a productive team at these rates can translate to roughly $1,800 to $2,100 per week per driver and annual earnings that climb into the $90,000-plus range per driver, though your real pay tracks directly with the miles your team runs.

Team drivers get full benefits, including health, dental, vision, and disability coverage and a 401(k) with matching funds, along with paid orientation that starts every week. You’ll need a Class-A CDL and a driving partner, and a recruiter can help match you if you don’t already have one.

Intermodal (Local, Home-Daily) Driver

Intermodal is KLLM’s home-every-night option. You run no more than about 190 miles out from your area’s rail terminal, moving freight between the railhead and customers, and you sleep in your own bed at the end of the day. For drivers with families or anyone who doesn’t want to live on the road, it’s the best work-life balance KLLM offers.

Because intermodal pay is local and set by metro area, KLLM tailors the rate to your location rather than publishing one fixed number. As a general estimate, home-daily local positions like these commonly pay in the range of about $1,000 to $1,400 per week, or roughly $52,000 to $73,000 per year, with a recruiter confirming the exact figure for your city. You trade some of the higher mileage pay of OTR for the ability to be home every night.

Benefits include the full health, dental, vision, and life package and a matching 401(k). These positions are limited to specific metro areas, so you’ll need to live in a qualifying market and hold a Class-A CDL with recent experience.

Lease-Purchase Independent Contractor

The lease-purchase path is different from every job above, because you become an independent contractor rather than a company employee. You choose a 2022–2023 Freightliner Cascadia, run OTR, Regional, or Dedicated freight by zip code with no forced dispatch, and work toward owning the truck outright with a $1 buyout at the end of the lease. There’s no down payment and no credit check to start.

Pay here works differently, too. Instead of a wage, you earn business revenue on the miles you run, and KLLM highlights one of the lowest weekly truck payments in the industry to help you keep more of it. That said, your take-home isn’t a fixed weekly or yearly salary. Contractors cover their own fuel, maintenance, insurance, and truck payment, so gross weekly settlements can exceed company-driver pay while net income varies week to week with your miles and expenses. It’s a business, and it rewards drivers who track their numbers closely.

Independent contractors get access to competitive medical, dental, life, and disability insurance, paid reefer fuel with receipts, detention and layover compensation, and paid plates, permits, and tolls. To qualify, you’ll need six months of experience as a KLLM company driver first, and if you bring your own truck, it must be seven years old or newer.

Student-Trainer

Once you’ve built experience and a solid safety record, becoming a student-trainer is one of the fastest ways to raise your income. You pass your knowledge on to new drivers while getting paid for both your own miles and your student’s miles, plus a substantial upgrade bonus every time one of your students passes their road test.

Because you’re earning on two sets of miles at once, trainer pay stacks on top of your base position’s rate and makes student-trainers some of the highest earners in the company. A trainer building on an OTR or regional base can push weekly earnings well beyond solo pay, and consistent trainers can reach six-figure annual earnings. Exact pay depends on your base fleet, your miles, and how many students you upgrade.

Trainers keep the full benefits of their underlying company-driver position. Most OTR, Dedicated, and Regional positions are eligible to train, and the main requirement is that you’re already an established KLLM driver with the experience and safety record to coach someone new.

The Truck You’ll Drive

KLLM runs late-model, well-maintained tractors, and the exact make and model you get depends on current inventory. Across the fleet you’ll find three main tractors, all with automatic transmissions and a serious safety and comfort package.

• Freightliner Cascadia Evolution: Detroit DD15 engine, DT-12 automatic transmission, 70-inch condo sleeper, backed by the Detroit Assurance Safety Suite.
• Kenworth T680: Cummins X15 engine, Eaton Endurant 12-speed automatic, 70-inch condo sleeper.
• Peterbilt 579 EPIQ Ultraloft: Cummins X15 engine, 12-speed Eaton UltraShift, roomy 80-inch condo sleeper with shore power.

Every tractor comes with LED headlights, a refrigerator, a TV mount, a double-bunk sleeper, an 1,800-watt inverter, and Platform Science in-cab telematics. Safety features include collision avoidance, blind-spot side detection, enhanced rollover protection, lane departure warning, and adaptive cruise control. This is your office and, for over-the-road drivers, your home away from home, and KLLM equips it accordingly.

The Condition of the Trucks and Trailers You’ll Operate

Equipment condition is not a small detail in this job. The truck is where you work, sleep, and spend most of your waking hours, and worn-out equipment costs you money through breakdowns, downtime, and stress. KLLM only runs late-model, well-maintained tractors, so the equipment you operate is current and cared for rather than something handed down until it falls apart.

On the trailer side, KLLM pulls a large fleet of refrigerated trailers to haul the temperature-controlled freight the company is built around, from food and medical supplies to other products that have to stay cold. Modern reefer trailers with reliable cooling units matter as much as the tractor, because your loads, and your delivery record, depend on them running right.

Keeping all of that equipment road-ready takes infrastructure, and KLLM backs its fleet with a nationwide network of service facilities and regular preventive maintenance. That means when something needs attention, there’s a system in place to handle it quickly and get you moving again. The automatic transmissions, advanced safety suites, and in-cab telematics across the fleet aren’t just comfort features either; they make the truck easier and safer to operate, which matters most when you’re newer to the road.

Life on the Road as an OTR Driver

It would be dishonest to sell trucking as easy. Over-the-road driving means real time away from home, and that’s the trade every new driver has to make peace with. On a typical OTR schedule, seven days out earns you two days home, and a common pattern is being out about two weeks and then home for four full days. If you have young kids or a partner who counts on you being around most evenings, that’s a serious conversation to have before you sign on.

The early weeks are an adjustment. You’re sleeping in the truck, planning meals around truck stops, and learning to manage your hours, your fuel, and your appointments on your own. There will be tough days, bad weather, long waits at a dock, and stretches of highway where nothing happens for hours.

The rewards are just as real. You’re not stuck at a desk or a factory line watching a clock. KLLM’s OTR fleet runs the lower 48 minus the greater New York City area, so you see a lot of the country and steer clear of the traffic most drivers dread. Pets and riders are welcome, which means your dog or your spouse can share the miles with you. And there’s a steadiness to the work: consistent freight, dependable equipment, and a paycheck that grows as you get better at the job.

Plenty of drivers find that after the first few months, the road stops feeling like a sacrifice and starts feeling like independence. You’re your own operator out there, and for a lot of career changers, that freedom is the whole point.

Extra Recognition for Veterans and Million-Mile Drivers

KLLM makes a point of hiring and honoring veterans. Drivers who have served in the Marines, Army, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard, or National Guard receive a KLLM Veteran decal on their tractor and, upon completing orientation, a KLLM Veteran duffle bag packed with new-hire gifts. It’s a small gesture, but it signals a company culture that values the discipline and work ethic veterans bring to the road.

The Million Mile Program, mentioned earlier for its pay bump, is also a culture piece. Drivers who reach the milestone are inducted at an annual banquet, put behind the wheel of a specially trimmed truck with their name on it, and treated to perks like monthly truck washes and upgraded hotels while their truck is in the shop. It’s how KLLM says thank you to the drivers who build long, safe careers, and it’s a reminder that the academy is the start of a path, not the whole path.

Benefits:

• As a new student your tuition is paid for in full as long as you drive for KLLM Transport for at least 1 year.
• As a refresher student, your tuition is paid in full as long as you drive for KLLM Trucking for at least 6 months.
• Breakfast is provided by the motel and lunch is provided by the school.
• A daily shuttle service transports you back and forth between the motel and school.
• The motel is equipped with a washer and dryer.
• You’ll train on the same exact equipment you’ll operate as a KLLM Transport truck driver.
• You’ll receive hands-on training on state-of-the-art computer simulators and real tractor-trailers.
• The school is equipped with modern classrooms, a cafeteria, laundry facilities, cable TV, WiFi, and more.
• Your Commercial Learner’s Permit (CLP) and Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) is paid for by the school.
• Your paid CDL training is only 22 days long.
• The Internship Program puts you out for 240 hours with a certified trainer and pays $812 per week while you’re on the road.
• If you finish the CDL training program and Internship Program and qualify, you will be hired by KLLM Trucking.
• KLLM Transport has several different driver positions to choose from such as OTR, Regional, Dedicated, LTL, and more.
• New students at the Jackson, MS academy receive a $200 Incentive Bonus.
• You’ll operate late-model tractors equipped with modern technology.
• Regular maintenance is performed on KLLM Transport’s fleet to ensure that the equipment is always in good working order.
• KLLM Trucking owns a network of 2,000 service facilities nationwide.
• Solo OTR company drivers are paid 55 to 65 cents per mile based on experience, and drivers are paid more as they gain experience.
• OTR drivers earn paid earned time off, compensating them during home time.
• Regional company drivers have guaranteed weekly minimum pay options of $1,700 (Southeast and Midsouth) and $1,825 (Midwest).
• Paid virtual or in-person orientation, with $225 paid for the virtual option.
• OTR drivers receive individual and family medical & vision insurance, a prescription card, and dental coverage after 90 days.
• Each OTR driver is eligible for a 401(k) retirement savings plan after 1 year of employment, fully vested after 5 years.
• Expedited team drivers choose between 82–87 CPM or 72–77 CPM pay packages, with high miles on cross-country lanes.
• Million-Mile drivers earn an additional 2 cents per mile plus upgraded equipment and recognition.

Requirements:

• Students must be 21 years of age or older.
• Students must have held a driver’s license for the 12 months prior to attending and must be drug-free. There is no high school or GED requirement for acceptance.
• On the first day of class, students take a DOT urinalysis and a company-required hair follicle drug test.
• New students and Refresher students must bring a copy of their driver’s license, Social Security card, and birth certificate.
• KLLM provides the option of a paid bus ticket to the academy, or students can arrive in their own vehicle.
• Be sure to pack a week’s worth of clothing since new students will be at the academy for 3 weeks, and refresher students will be there for 8 days. The motel does offer a washer and dryer.
• Hotel lodging is provided by the KLLM Driving Academy for students who don’t live locally and can’t commute daily.
• Students will be offered a continental breakfast at the motel and the school will provide students with a lunch each day.
• Students are responsible for providing their own dinner. Students commuting to the school will receive paid lunch each day the school is open, Monday through Saturday.
• Out of town students who are unable to commute to school will stay at the Motel 6 Jackson Airport-Pearl, 216 N. Pearson Road, Pearl, MS.
• Motel 6 offers shuttle service every day to the school and back to the motel. School hours are 7 AM – 5 PM. Students should be in the motel lobby by 6:45 AM to catch the shuttle.
• Students must come equipped with a notebook, paper, and a pen or pencil. All other materials will be provided by the school.
• Students are required to bring money for extra meals, snacks, and personal items. The school pays for each student’s Class A Permit and Class A CDL.
• The tuition is paid for by KLLM Trucking as long as the new student finishes the CDL training program and signs an agreement to work for KLLM for 1 year. Any new student that does not fulfill the 1-year period will be required to pay back the remaining tuition on a pro-rated basis.<
• The tuition for refresher students is paid for as long as the refresher student finishes the CDL training program and signs an agreement to work for KLLM Trucking for 6 months. Any refresher student that does not fulfill the 6-month period will be required to pay back the remaining tuition on a pro-rated basis.
• Students must come to school neatly dressed and wear proper footwear. Flip-flops, sandals, and open-toed shoes are prohibited. Shorts must come to within 1 inch of the knee. Nose rings and any other facial rings are also prohibited. Females are required to wear proper undergarments for support.

Frequently Asked Questions About KLLM’s Paid CDL Training Program

Have questions about how KLLM’s company-sponsored CDL training program works? These frequently asked questions cover tuition, eligibility, training locations, the 22-day academy, paid over-the-road training, earning potential, equipment, home time, and what happens after you earn your commercial driver’s license (CDL).

How much does it cost to attend the KLLM Driving Academy?

For students who sign an agreement to drive with KLLM for one year after graduation, there are no out-of-pocket tuition costs, hotel costs, or permit and licensing fees. KLLM covers your travel to the academy, your lodging while you’re there, and your permit, license, and testing fees, so the cost to attend is little to nothing. Put simply, drive one year with KLLM and you never pay anything for your training.

Do I need any prior experience to enroll?

No. The KLLM Driving Academy is built for entry-level students with no trucking background at all. You’ll start with classroom instruction, move to the driving range, and finish with paid over-the-road training. If you already hold a Class-A CDL but haven’t driven recently, the 9-day refresher course is designed to get you back up to speed instead.

How long does the program take to complete?

The full Class-A CDL course runs 22 days for entry-level students. If you already have your Commercial Learner’s Permit, the classroom portion is shorter and the course runs 18 days. After graduating, you complete 240 hours of over-the-road training with a certified trainer before upgrading to your own truck.

Will I get paid during training?

Students at the Jackson, MS academy receive a $200 incentive bonus during the 22 days of class. The bigger paycheck comes after graduation: while you complete your 240 hours of over-the-road training with a KLLM certified trainer, you’re paid $812 per week. You’re earning while you build real experience.

What are the requirements to be accepted?

You must be at least 21 years old, have held a driver’s license for the 12 months before attending, and be drug-free. There’s no high school diploma or GED requirement to enroll. On your first day of class, you’ll take a DOT urinalysis and a company-required hair follicle drug test.

Do I have to sign a contract to drive for KLLM?

Yes. To have your full training costs covered, entry-level students commit to driving for KLLM for 12 months, and refresher students commit to 6 months. If you leave before fulfilling that commitment, you’ll repay the remaining tuition on a pro-rated basis, so the longer you stay, the less you’d ever owe.

Where will I stay, and how do I get to the academy?

KLLM provides hotel lodging for students who don’t live locally and can’t commute daily. To get there, you can take a paid bus ticket that KLLM offers, drive your own vehicle, or make your own travel arrangements. The goal is to remove the logistical hurdles that keep people from starting.

Am I guaranteed a job after I graduate?

After you graduate and complete your 240 hours of over-the-road training, you have the opportunity to be hired by KLLM and upgrade to your own truck once you pass your upgrade test. The final hiring decision is at KLLM’s discretion, so showing up ready to work, taking instruction, and driving safely are what earn you the offer.

How much can I expect to earn in my first year?

Academy-trained drivers have the potential to earn more than $70,000 in their first year with KLLM. Over-the-road company drivers are paid 55 to 65 cents per mile based on experience, while regional company positions come with guaranteed weekly minimum pay options of $1,700 to $1,825. Your exact earnings depend on the type of driving you choose and the miles you run.

What kind of trucks will I train and drive on?

You train on the same class of late-model, well-maintained automatic tractors you’ll operate as a working driver. As a KLLM driver, you’ll run late-model Freightliner, Kenworth, and Peterbilt tractors equipped with refrigerators, TV mounts, double-bunk sleepers, inverters, and full safety suites, pulling KLLM’s fleet of refrigerated trailers.

KLLM Trucking School Locations: