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.

Inside the Classroom

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

Once you pass the CLP exam and obtain your learner’s permit, you’ll move on to the next phase of the training program.

On the Driving Range

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

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.

Out on the Practice Road

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.

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 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.

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.

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.

KLLM Trucking School Locations: