Stevens Transport Company-Sponsored Truck Driving School Review – Company-Sponsored CDL Training

You want a trade that pays a real wage, holds steady when the economy wobbles, and doesn’t bury you in student debt before you’ve earned your first paycheck. That kind of career exists behind the wheel of a Class A truck, and Stevens Transport built its company-sponsored school to hand it to people who are starting from scratch. No prior experience. No four-year degree. No stack of tuition bills waiting on the other side.

If you’ve been circling the idea of driving for a living but keep running into the same wall (the cost of getting licensed), this review walks you through exactly how the Stevens program removes that wall and what your first few years on the road can look like.

Who Stevens Transport Is

Based in Dallas, Texas, Stevens Transport is recognized as the fourth largest privately held refrigerated carrier in the United States. Steve Aaron founded the company in 1980 with a single idea: build a smarter model for hauling temperature-controlled freight. More than 45 years later, that idea has grown into one of the most successful privately held transportation companies in the country.

Financially secure and still family-owned, Stevens Transport runs freight across the 48 contiguous states, Canada, and Mexico for a client roster that includes some of the biggest Fortune 500 names in the food industry. The company hauls the kind of freight people always need, which keeps demand steady no matter what the market is doing.

Founder Steven L. Aaron still leads the company as Chairman and CEO, and the operation sits on a 75-acre corporate campus just minutes from downtown Dallas. That same campus is home to the Stevens Driving Academy, where thousands of brand-new drivers earn their CDL every year. Stevens has trained more than 100,000 professional drivers over its history, which is a track record very few carriers can match.

For anyone weighing whether to trust their career start to a company they’ve never worked for, that longevity matters. You’re not signing on with a startup hoping to find its footing. You’re joining a carrier that has been putting new drivers on the road, safely and profitably, for four and a half decades.

The company’s specialty is temperature-controlled, or refrigerated, freight, often called reefer in the industry. That’s the produce, frozen goods, and other perishables that grocery stores and restaurants can’t run without. Because those products move every single day of the year, the drivers who haul them stay busy through boom times and slow ones alike, which is a big part of why Stevens describes its work as nearly recession-proof.

Why the Price Tag Doesn’t Have to Stop You

Private truck driving schools can charge anywhere from $4,000 to $10,000 for a CDL course, and that number stops a lot of good candidates before they ever get started. Stevens Transport takes that obstacle off the table with full company sponsorship for qualified applicants. There are no out-of-pocket training costs and no credit check to get in the door.

For students accepted into the sponsored program, the support can reach well beyond tuition. Depending on your situation, the sponsorship may cover training tuition, lodging during school, meal assistance, and transportation assistance so you can focus on learning to drive instead of scrambling to pay for a place to sleep.

This approach is why so many people with families choose to earn their credential through one of the company sponsored truck driving schools connected to Stevens Transport. You’re not draining savings or taking on a high-interest loan to change careers. The company invests in you up front, and you repay that investment by driving for Stevens once you’re licensed and hired.

In exchange for covering your training, Stevens asks for a driving commitment after you graduate. That commitment is how the tuition gets earned back over time through your work as a company driver, rather than through cash out of your pocket on day one. It’s a straightforward trade: they cover the cost of getting you licensed, and you launch your career with them.

You also have options for where you train. Stevens runs its own academy in Dallas and works with a nationwide network of partner truck driving schools, so you can often begin closer to home. Any partner school in the network meets the federal training standards required to certify you for your Class A CDL.

Where You Can Train

The Stevens Transport Company-Sponsored Truck Driving School is based at the Stevens Driving Academy on the company’s corporate campus in Dallas, Texas. That’s the flagship location, sitting on the same 75-acre grounds as company headquarters, with classrooms, driving simulators, and a full training range in one place.

You don’t have to be in Dallas to start, though. Stevens has partnered with CDL schools around the country so you can often begin your training closer to home while still earning your way toward a job with the company. Partner-school locations include:

• Denver, Colorado
• Detroit, Michigan
• Duncan, South Carolina
• Houston, Texas
• Knoxville, Tennessee
• Little Rock, Arkansas
• Shreveport, Louisiana
• St. Louis, Missouri
• Tampa, Florida
• Tulsa, Oklahoma
• Waco, Texas

Wherever you train, the destination is the same: a Class A CDL and a driving job with Stevens Transport once you finish and meet the hiring requirements.

How the Training Is Built

The Stevens program is structured in two stages. First comes a 160-hour Class A CDL training course that blends classroom study with hands-on driving. Once you pass your CDL exam, you move into a 240-hour paid behind-the-wheel finishing program alongside an experienced trainer before you ever run solo.

The Stevens Driving Academy in Dallas graduates close to 1,000 new drivers a year and sits on the same 75-acre campus as company headquarters, with classrooms, offices, driving simulators, and a full training range all in one place. The academy keeps a 4-to-1 student-to-instructor ratio, so you get real attention instead of getting lost in a crowd. Every instructor brings years of practical driving experience to the range.

All training follows the federal Entry-Level Driver Training (ELDT) standards set by the Department of Transportation. ELDT is the national baseline every new CDL applicant must meet, covering required theory topics and behind-the-wheel skills. Training on the same type of equipment Stevens drivers use means the truck you learn in feels familiar the day you start earning. The program has earned national recognition, including a “Member of the Year” honor from the Commercial Vehicle Training Association for its commitment to training and safety.

What Your Training Schedule Looks Like

Stevens builds the program around two phases, and knowing the sequence ahead of time takes the mystery out of it. The first phase is a 160-hour certified Class A CDL course. The second is a 240-hour paid finishing program out on the road. You move from one to the next only after you’ve earned your license.

Phase one runs at the Stevens Driving Academy in Dallas or at a partner school, and it blends four kinds of learning. You get classroom instruction on safety and theory, hands-on practice on the training range, driving time on local roadways, and sessions in a driving simulator that recreates real-world situations. With a 4-to-1 student-to-instructor ratio, the coaching stays steady from start to finish.

Every hour of that first phase is built to meet the federal ELDT standard and to prepare you for your state CDL exam. Once you pass that exam and hold your Class A CDL, you head to orientation at the Stevens headquarters in Dallas, where the company finishes your hiring paperwork and confirms you’re ready for the road.

Then phase two begins. The 240-hour finishing program pairs you one-on-one with a certified Stevens trainer for paid, behind-the-wheel driving and the other essential duties that fill a working driver’s day. Only one student rides per truck, so the attention stays on you. When your trainer signs off, you’re assigned your own truck, with no slip-seating, and you start running solo.

Inside the Classroom

Your CDL training begins in the classroom, where experienced instructors prepare you for the responsibilities of professional truck driving. You’ll build a strong foundation in safety, vehicle operation, federal regulations, and the real-world decision-making skills you’ll rely on throughout your career.

Safety, Theory, and the Federal Rulebook

Before you climb into a cab, you learn the why behind the wheel. Classroom instruction starts with the fundamentals of how a tractor-trailer behaves, how weight shifts affect handling, and how to spot a hazard long before it becomes an emergency. Safe driving is treated as the foundation everything else is built on.

You’ll also study the federal regulations that govern commercial driving, the same rules that will shape your workday for the rest of your career. Understanding those rules early keeps you compliant and keeps your CDL clean. Instructors break down the material in plain language, so you don’t need a background in trucking to follow along.

By the time this portion wraps, you’ll be comfortable with the terms, standards, and expectations that define professional driving at Stevens. That grounding makes the hands-on stages far less intimidating when you get there.

Logbooks and Hours-of-Service Compliance

Every mile you drive commercially is tracked, and knowing how to log your time correctly is a skill you’ll use every single day. The classroom covers hours-of-service rules, which set how long you can drive and when you’re required to rest. Get these right and you protect your license, your paycheck, and everyone else on the road.

Stevens trucks use electronic logging, so you’ll learn how the technology records your driving hours and what your responsibilities are around it. The goal is to make logging second nature, not a source of stress. You’ll practice reading and managing your available hours until it clicks.

This piece of the curriculum matters more than new drivers expect. Clean, accurate logs are part of what keeps you employable and moving freight without interruption.

Trip Planning, Maps, and Fuel Management

A load isn’t just picked up and dropped off. You learn to plan a route from origin to destination, account for delivery windows, and read the map like a professional who gets paid by the mile. Good planning is the difference between a smooth run and a stressful one.

You’ll also cover fuel management and how smart driving habits stretch every gallon. Stevens rewards efficient driving through a quarterly fuel bonus, so the skills you build here can pay you back directly. Learning to think ahead about fuel stops, terrain, and timing puts money in your pocket.

Trip planning ties the whole classroom experience together. It takes the rules, the logs, and the safety training and turns them into a repeatable system you’ll rely on for years.

On the Driving Range

Once you move onto the driving range, you’ll begin turning classroom knowledge into practical skill behind the wheel. Through guided practice and repetition, you’ll learn how to control the truck during backing, parking, and other precision maneuvers required for both the CDL exam and everyday driving.

Backing and Precision Maneuvering

Backing a 70-foot vehicle is the skill that separates the confident from the nervous, and it’s where you’ll spend a large share of your range time. On the training range, you practice straight-line backing, offset backing, and parallel parking until the truck goes where you point it. Repetition is the whole point here.

These maneuvers show up on your CDL skills exam and in real life at nearly every dock and truck stop. The more reps you get on a controlled range, the calmer you’ll be when you’re backing into a tight spot with other trucks waiting behind you. Instructors stand right there to coach your angles and adjustments.

Nobody expects you to be smooth on the first attempt. The range exists so you can make your mistakes in a safe, low-pressure setting and build muscle memory before it counts.

Coupling and Uncoupling the Trailer

Connecting a tractor to a trailer, and separating them safely, is a daily task you have to get exactly right. On the range you’ll learn to line up the fifth wheel, lock the kingpin, connect the air lines and electrical cord, and confirm everything is secure before you roll. A mistake here is dangerous, so the process is drilled until it’s automatic.

You’ll practice the full sequence in both directions, coupling up and dropping the trailer, so it becomes routine. Each step has a purpose, and instructors make sure you understand the reasoning rather than just memorizing motions. That understanding is what keeps you safe when you’re doing this alone at 5 a.m.

By the end of range training, hooking and dropping a trailer will feel as ordinary as fueling up. It’s a small ritual that protects you, your load, and everyone sharing the highway.

Simulator Sessions and Pre-Trip Inspection Practice

Stevens uses driving simulators to put you through situations that are hard to arrange safely on a range, like slick roads, sudden hazards, and heavy traffic. The simulator lets you build judgment and reaction skills without any real-world risk. It’s a modern tool that gives new drivers reps most schools can’t offer.

You’ll also master the pre-trip inspection, the head-to-tail check every professional performs before rolling out. You learn to walk the truck, inspect the brakes, tires, lights, fluids, and coupling, and call out defects the way an examiner expects. This inspection is part of your CDL test and part of your job forever after.

Together, the simulator and inspection training sharpen the habits that keep you and your equipment road-ready. They turn a checklist into instinct, which is exactly what you want before you head out on your own.

Behind the Wheel on the Road

After earning your CDL, you’ll finally take your training onto the open road alongside a certified Stevens Transport trainer. This paid finishing program helps you build confidence, gain experience with real loads and driving conditions, and prepare for the day-to-day responsibilities of running safely on your own.

Riding with a Certified Trainer

After you earn your CDL, you don’t get handed keys and waved off. You enter a 240-hour paid finishing program paired with a certified Stevens trainer who rides with you and coaches you through the realities of the job. You earn while you complete this stage, so your income starts before you ever run solo.

Your trainer guides you on different loads and situations, filling the gap between passing an exam and truly knowing how to work. This is where classroom knowledge meets the open road. Having an experienced professional beside you takes the fear out of those first long hauls.

If you prefer, you can request a trainer who doesn’t smoke, since you’ll be sharing a cab for extended stretches. Stevens wants this stage to be comfortable, because comfortable drivers learn faster and stay safer.

Hauling Real Freight on Real Routes

The finishing program isn’t a rehearsal. You’re moving actual temperature-controlled freight to real customers across real distances, learning how deliveries, docks, and dispatch work in practice. Every trip teaches you something a classroom can’t.

You’ll see how to manage your clock, handle a reefer load, communicate with your driver manager, and keep freight on schedule. These are the everyday rhythms of a working driver, and you build them mile by mile with a trainer watching your back. By living the job instead of studying it, you graduate into solo driving genuinely ready.

Running these routes also gives you a feel for the parts of the country you’ll cover and the pace that fits you. That real-world exposure helps you settle into the career instead of being surprised by it.

Building Confidence Before You Solo

The whole point of on-road finishing is to send you out alone only when you’re actually prepared. By the time you complete your 240 hours, backing, planning, logging, and long-haul driving all feel like things you’ve done many times, because you have. Confidence built on real practice sticks.

Once your trainer signs off and you finish the program, Stevens assigns you your own late-model truck that you don’t share with anyone. There’s no slip-seating, so the cab is yours. That truck becomes your workspace, and for many drivers, a second home.

From there, the solo miles begin, and with them come mileage pay and the bonus programs that reward you for doing the job well. You reach that point having earned it, not having rushed it.

From Graduation to a Guaranteed Job Offer

One of the biggest advantages of company-sponsored training is that the finish line is a job, not a job search. When you graduate from the Stevens program and meet the company’s hiring requirements, employment is waiting for you. You aren’t sending out applications and hoping someone calls back.

After you obtain your CDL, you go through orientation at the Stevens Transport headquarters in Dallas, where the company gets you set up as a new employee. Orientation covers company procedures, paperwork, and the standards you’ll be held to as a professional driver. It’s the bridge between finishing school and starting your career.

Once orientation and your paid road finishing are complete, you’re a hired Stevens driver with your own assigned truck. That direct path from training to a guaranteed offer is the reason many people choose a company-sponsored school over paying a private program with no employment attached. You train, you qualify, you drive.

What You’ll Earn

A driving career with Stevens Transport offers strong earning potential from your first year and room to grow as your experience builds. Your income can increase through consistent miles, performance bonuses, route opportunities, and long-term career paths that reward skill, safety, and dedication.

Your First Year Behind the Wheel

New drivers coming out of the Stevens program can earn up to $70,000 in their first year. That’s a strong starting income for a career you can enter in a matter of weeks with zero training debt. For a career changer walking in with no experience, few trades offer that kind of first-year ceiling.

Your actual pay depends on the miles you run, the route type you choose, and the bonuses you qualify for along the way. The more you drive, the more you earn, and Stevens offers one of the longer average lengths of haul in the industry to keep those miles coming. Consistent, year-round refrigerated freight means your paychecks don’t dry up in a slow season.

Layer in the fuel bonus, stop pay, and other incentives, and a motivated first-year driver has real room to push toward the top of that range. The pay is there for drivers willing to work for it.

After Five Years and Beyond

Experience pays at Stevens. Seasoned Class A drivers can earn up to $90,000, and the company’s experienced drivers rank in the top 10% of income earners in transportation. Stay with it past the five-year mark and you’re no longer a rookie chasing miles; you’re a veteran with the routes, the reputation, and the earning power to match.

By then you’ve also unlocked more of the career paths inside the company, from dedicated and regional routes to business ownership. Your income isn’t capped by a salary band. It grows with your skill, your safety record, and the choices you make about how and where you drive.

That upward path is what turns a first job into a lifelong career. Drivers who plant roots at Stevens tend to keep climbing, and the company’s awards and tenure programs are built to recognize exactly that kind of loyalty.

The Driving Jobs Waiting for You

A Class A CDL from Stevens doesn’t lock you into a single role. The company runs several types of driving operations, and understanding them helps you pick the path that fits your life and your income goals.

Over-the-Road (OTR) Company Driver

Over-the-road driving is where most new Stevens drivers begin, and it’s the backbone of the fleet. You haul temperature-controlled freight across long distances, often covering multiple states on a single run, and you’re typically out on the road for two to three weeks at a time. If you like the idea of seeing the country and stacking miles, this is your lane.

First-year OTR drivers can earn up to $70,000, with experienced drivers reaching up to $90,000 as their miles and skills grow. You’ll drive a late-model truck equipped with satellite dispatch, GPS navigation, and electronic logging, and you keep that truck to yourself. The consistent refrigerated freight keeps you rolling year-round.

To qualify, you need to be at least 22, hold a valid U.S. driver’s license, show a verifiable work history, and pass a DOT physical and drug test. New drivers reach this role straight out of the company-sponsored program. It’s the most direct route from student to full-time professional driver.

Dedicated and Regional Routes

Once you have some experience, dedicated and regional routes offer a schedule that keeps you closer to home. On a regional run you move freight within a specific area, such as the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic, and many of these positions get you home weekly instead of every few weeks. For drivers with families, that home time is often worth more than anything else.

Regional dedicated drivers at Stevens can earn up to $85,000 a year, with weekly pay running $1,700 or more. The trade-off compared to long OTR runs is shorter distances and a more predictable rhythm, which many drivers happily accept once they’ve got a season or two under their belt. Dedicated freight also tends to mean familiar lanes and repeat customers.

These roles generally call for around three months of verifiable driving experience, and you’ll need to be at least 22 with a clean enough record to pass the company’s screening. Refrigerated, or reefer, experience is a plus but not always required. It’s a natural next step for a driver who wants more home time without giving up strong pay.

Food-Grade Bulk Tanker Driver

Stevens runs a food-grade bulk liquid tanker division that hauls products like liquid chocolate, edible oils, juices, syrups, and dairy across North America. Tanker work is a specialty, since liquid loads shift and handle differently than a boxed reefer trailer. Drivers who master it become part of a smaller, in-demand group.

The tanker fleet offers regional and dedicated routes, home-weekly opportunities, and a premium pay package that reflects the specialized skill involved. First-year tanker drivers can earn between $85,000 and $95,000, with weekly pay typically averaging $1,600 to $1,800. You’ll run late-model conventional tractors pulling purpose-built stainless steel tankers, and the work follows strict food-safety and sanitation standards, so precision and professionalism are the name of the game.

This division is aimed at experienced Class A drivers who hold a tanker endorsement and have around a year of verifiable tanker experience, with food-grade experience preferred and a Hazmat certificate a plus. If you already have that background, or you’re willing to build toward it, the tanker side is one of the better-paying corners of the company. It rewards drivers who want a niche that keeps them valuable.

Independent Contractor and Owner-Operator

For drivers who want to run their own business, the Stevens Transport Contractor Division has been turning drivers into business owners since 2002. The program removes the usual barriers to ownership with no down payment, no credit check, and low-interest financing. You get a real path to being your own boss without needing a pile of cash to start.

You choose how to get into a truck: lease a new or low-mileage Kenworth, Peterbilt, or Freightliner through Alliance Leasing, move into a lease-purchase and own your truck in as little as three years, or buy outright with in-house financing. A dedicated business support team helps you build a plan around your goals. Several drivers who started as students with little experience now run their own trucks and earn six figures.

Contractors control their income through the miles they run, plus lease-completion bonuses, re-signing bonuses, and other incentives. Independent contractors at Stevens can gross $250,000 or more per year, and the company pays out over a million dollars annually in contractor bonuses alone. Keep in mind that a gross figure covers your business revenue before expenses like fuel, insurance, and truck payments, so your take-home depends on how well you run the operation.

This path suits experienced, disciplined drivers who want ownership and are ready to treat driving as a business. It’s the highest-ceiling option in the company for those willing to take it on, and plenty of drivers who started as students with little experience now run their own trucks and clear six figures.

Military Veterans and Operation Patriot

Stevens has supported service members since 1980, and more than 25% of its current associates come from a military background. The company has hired, trained, and employed over 10,000 military veterans, and it actively recruits transitioning service members and their spouses. If you’ve served, you’ll find a company that speaks your language.

The company’s Operation Patriot program is a 12-month apprenticeship approved for eligible veterans using GI Bill® benefits through the Texas Veterans Commission. Through it, qualifying veterans can collect On-the-Job Training benefits from the VA on top of their regular Stevens driver pay, which pushes many first-year veteran drivers toward the top of the income scale. That extra, tax-free income is a real advantage during your first year.

Active-duty members, reservists, and National Guard members across every branch can access the program, and Stevens participates in Hiring Our Heroes, the Military Spouse Employment Partnership, and Wreaths Across America. For veterans, the CDL is the entry point to a civilian career that values the discipline they already have. The support structure is built to help that transition succeed.

Life as an Over-the-Road Driver

It’s only fair to be honest about what this career asks of you. Over-the-road driving means real time away from home, often two to three weeks at a stretch, and life on the road takes some adjusting. You eat, sleep, and work out of your truck, and you learn to make a small space feel livable.

The lifestyle isn’t for everyone, and Stevens is upfront that you need to be physically and mentally ready to be on the road for extended periods. There are lonely stretches, tight schedules, and weather that doesn’t care about your delivery window. Knowing that going in helps you decide with clear eyes.

The rewards, though, are substantial. You’re paid well for a skill you can carry anywhere, you see parts of the country most people never will, and once you’re solo, no one is looking over your shoulder in the cab. For drivers who value independence, that freedom is the whole appeal.

The habits you build early make the difference. Drivers who plan their meals, keep a sleep routine, stay in touch with family, and take care of their bodies tend to thrive out there, while those who wing it often struggle. Stevens supports its drivers with modern trucks, responsive dispatch, and a driver-focused culture, but the day-to-day discipline is on you.

Over time, many drivers shift into regional or dedicated routes to gain more home time, or move into ownership through the Contractor Division. The OTR start is a launching point, not a life sentence. You build experience, then shape the career around the life you want.

Driver Benefits at Stevens Transport

Beyond mileage pay, Stevens backs its drivers with a full benefits package built for people who spend their working life on the road:

• No out-of-pocket cost for company-sponsored CDL training, with no credit check required.
• A 160-hour CDL course followed by 240 hours of paid, over-the-road finishing.
• Training on the same late-model equipment you’ll drive as an employee.
• Your own assigned late-model truck once you finish, with no slip-seating.
• A modern fleet featuring Kenworth, Peterbilt, and Freightliner tractors.
• Satellite dispatch, GPS navigation, and electronic logging in the cab.
• Medical, vision, and dental insurance, plus a prescription drug card.
• $50,000 life insurance and short-term disability coverage.
• A 401(k) savings plan and direct deposit.
• Paid vacation and a driver awards program that recognizes safety and tenure.
• A quarterly fuel bonus offered on a sliding scale.
• Clear career advancement into regional, dedicated, tanker, and owner-operator roles.

Stevens hauls freight that stays in demand regardless of economic conditions, which is why the company describes its business as nearly recession-proof. For a driver, that stability translates into steady miles and a paycheck you can plan a life around.

Who Qualifies to Apply

Stevens holds new applicants to safety-first standards, since the company is entrusting you with expensive equipment and valuable freight. Here’s what you’ll generally need to qualify for the company-sponsored program and a driving position:

• You must be at least 22 years of age to apply.
• You must have held a valid U.S. driver’s license for at least the past 12 months.
• You must have a verifiable work history.
• You must bring your original Social Security card, original birth certificate, or U.S. passport.
• You must be able to pass a DOT medical examination and a DOT drug test.
• Your driving record must not contain any reckless or careless driving citations in the past 3 years.
• Your record must not contain a major preventable accident in the past 12 months.
• Your record must not contain more than 4 moving violations in the past 4 years.
• Your record must not contain a DUI/DWI in the past 5 years or multiple such convictions in your lifetime.
• You must not have failed or refused a drug test.
• You must be physically able to perform the duties of the job without any aid.
• You must be physically and mentally able to be on the road for 2 to 3 weeks at a time.

If you meet these standards, the door is open. Don’t rule yourself out over a minor blemish; the application will walk you through your specific situation, and the recruiting team can tell you where you stand.

Commonly Asked Questions

Have questions about the Stevens Transport CDL training program? These frequently asked questions cover the cost, training timeline, earning potential, equipment, home time, career opportunities, and what you can expect after completing the program.

How much does the CDL training actually cost me?

For students accepted into the company-sponsored program, there are no out-of-pocket training costs and no credit check. Stevens covers the cost of getting you licensed, and you repay that investment by driving for the company after you’re hired. The support can also extend to lodging, meals, and transportation during school.

How long does the whole program take?

The Class A CDL course runs 160 hours and combines classroom study with hands-on driving. After you earn your CDL, you complete a 240-hour paid finishing program with a certified trainer before driving solo. The exact calendar depends on your pace and location, but the classroom-to-license stage moves quickly.

Do I need any driving experience to get started?

No. The company-sponsored program is built for people with no prior truck driving experience. You’ll learn everything from the ground up, starting with classroom fundamentals and working through range and road training with instructors and trainers beside you.

Is there really a job waiting when I finish?

Yes. When you complete the program and meet the company’s hiring requirements, employment with Stevens Transport is the next step, not a separate job hunt. That direct path from training to a hired position is one of the biggest reasons drivers choose a company-sponsored school.

How much can I make in my first year?

New drivers can earn up to $70,000 in their first year, depending on miles, route type, and bonuses. Experienced drivers can earn up to $90,000, and the company’s veterans rank in the top 10% of income earners in transportation.

Where can I attend training?

You can train at the Stevens Driving Academy on the company’s Dallas campus or through a nationwide network of partner truck driving schools. That flexibility often lets you start closer to home while still meeting the same federal training standards.

What kind of trucks will I drive?

Stevens runs a modern, late-model fleet that includes Kenworth, Peterbilt, and Freightliner tractors equipped with satellite dispatch, GPS navigation, and electronic logging. You train on the same type of equipment you’ll drive as an employee, and once you finish, you get your own assigned truck with no slip-seating.

Will I be home often, or always on the road?

New drivers typically start in over-the-road roles that keep them out for two to three weeks at a time. As you gain experience, you can move into regional or dedicated routes, many of which get you home weekly. Your home time grows with your options.

Are there opportunities for military veterans?

Yes. The Operation Patriot apprenticeship is approved for eligible veterans using GI Bill® benefits, which can add tax-free income on top of your driver pay during your first year. More than a quarter of the company’s associates come from a military background, and Stevens actively supports veterans and their spouses.

Can I eventually own my own truck?

Yes. Through the Contractor Division, experienced drivers can lease, lease-to-purchase, or buy a truck with no down payment and no credit check. Several drivers who began as students now run their own trucks and earn six figures as independent contractors.

Stevens Transport Company-Sponsored Truck Driving School Location:

Stevens Driving Academy – Dallas
9757 Military Pkwy
Dallas, TX 75227