Veriha Driving Academy – Company Paid CDL Training

Steady pay, work that can’t be sent overseas, and a skill that stays in demand no matter what the economy does. That’s what pulls most people toward a Class A commercial driver’s license (CDL), the credential you need to drive a full-size tractor-trailer. If you’ve been circling the idea of driving for a living but the price tag on training keeps stopping you, Veriha Driving Academy was built for exactly that hesitation.

The story behind the company matters here, because it tells you who you’d be training with. Veriha Trucking, Inc. was established in 1978 by John Veriha in Porterfield, Wisconsin. John was the company’s only employee, making long haul runs across the country, transporting products from Wisconsin to California and back. Thanks to John’s dedication and reliability, his company grew and prospered in a short amount of time. In fact, in 1982, Veriha Trucking moved to nearby Marinette, Wisconsin in order to expand the business.

Today, Veriha Trucking is owned and operated by John’s own daughter, Karen Smerchek, who serves as President. The trucking company provides logistic solutions in the 48 contiguous states and parts of Canada. A fleet of 250-plus tractors and roughly 600 trailers runs out of three terminals, with drivers mostly covering the Midwest and Northeast. Veriha truck drivers haul a variety of different products, including paper goods, pet food, groceries, produce, auto parts and more.

Even though the company has grown across more than four decades, Veriha Trucking still holds true to their core values and goals:

• Safety
• Personal Development
• People First
• Go the Extra Mile
• Sustainable Results

Veriha Trucking works hard to offer sustainable, affordable and safety-conscious logistic solutions to their vast network of customers. They take just as much pride in looking after the people who drive the freight. Veriha was named a TCA Elite Fleet by the Truckload Carriers Association in both 2025 and 2026, an honor based largely on what current drivers say about the company. Veriha is also a certified Women’s Business Enterprise.

The training side of the operation carries its own name. Veriha Driving Academy opened in February 2016 in Marinette, and it’s an ELDT-certified school, meaning it meets the federal Entry-Level Driver Training standards every new Class A applicant has to satisfy before testing. What follows is a plain-language look at how the program works, what you’ll actually learn, the jobs waiting on the other side, and what you can expect to earn once you’re rolling.

Getting Hired First, Then Trained: How the Company-Paid Path Works

What sets Veriha apart from a lot of other paid CDL training programs is the order of operations. Through the company-paid apprenticeship, you’re brought on as a paid employee from day one, before you ever earn your license. You’re not fronting thousands of dollars and hoping a job shows up at the end. The job is the starting point.

The apprenticeship is designed for people with no trucking background at all. No current Class A CDL is required, since the training is provided, and you start drawing a paycheck the moment you begin. The program runs about eight weeks, and lodging is arranged for you in double-occupancy rooms rather than dorm-style bunks.

For anyone worried about surviving financially during training, that structure changes the math completely. Your weekly minimum pay starts at $900, and average first-year earnings land between $58,000 and $72,000. You’re learning a trade and covering your bills at the same time, which is the whole point of a paid apprenticeship.

Wisconsin residents have even more ways to lower the cost of getting licensed. State Workforce Development funding and WIOA assistance can offset training expenses for those who qualify, and drivers who complete the Academy and stay with Veriha for 12 months can earn full tuition reimbursement with no binding contract attached. Free lodging is also offered seasonally for out-of-state students.

What It Costs You to Get Started

There are really two doors into a Class A CDL at Veriha, and the one you walk through decides what you pay. The company-paid apprenticeship is the lowest-barrier route: you’re hired first, paid from the first day, and your lodging during training is handled. Your main out-of-pocket costs are getting yourself to Marinette and your own meals.

The second door is enrolling directly through Veriha Driving Academy as a paying student. That path uses a $500 non-refundable deposit to hold your seat, with the remaining admission costs due before class begins. Tuition depends on whether you train on an automatic or a manual transmission, and financing and state funding options exist to spread or reduce the cost.

Either way, the reimbursement promise is the same. Drive for Veriha Trucking for 12 months and your tuition comes back to you, with no long-term contract locking you in place. That’s a meaningful difference from programs that hold a large tuition balance over your head for a year and a half.

What to Pack for Marinette

A few practical things make your first days smoother. The school won’t supply these items, so plan to bring them with you when you arrive:

• Birth certificate (original or certified copy)
• Current valid driver’s license or state ID card
• Social security card
• Medical card
• Personal email address
• Notepad and pen or pencil for taking notes during class
• Battery-operated alarm clock, calculator and a clipboard
• Voided personal check for payroll direct deposit
• Beneficiary/dependent information
• Clean clothes for 3 weeks (must be weather-appropriate)
• Rain gear and jacket
• Flashlight and gloves
• Slip-resistant footwear
• Either a sleeping bag or bed linens (sheets, blanket, pillow)
• Toiletries and personal hygiene items
• Any medications, glasses and/or contact lenses
• Personal items should be brought in a soft-sided duffel bag instead of a suitcase

You won’t need a U.S. Passport, but you do need the proper identification with you to start training. Getting those documents lined up before you leave home saves you a headache during your first week.

The Academy also asks that you handle a few qualifying steps up front, including a valid medical card, a Motor Vehicle Record (MVR), a Commercial Learner’s Permit (CLP), and a DOT drug screen completed within 30 days of your class start date. Your admissions specialist walks you through which items apply to your situation and what order to tackle them in.

Inside the Classroom

Most of your training is hands-on, but the classroom is where the reasoning behind the wheel gets built. Instructors are all experienced Class A holders with state qualifications, and they teach with adult learners in mind, which means less lecturing at you and more working through material you’ll use on the road. Students who want extra classroom time can get it.

Federal Regulations and Hours-of-Service Basics

You’ll learn the rules that govern a professional driver’s day, starting with hours-of-service limits, the electronic logging device (ELD) that records your driving time, and the daily inspection reports drivers are required to keep. These aren’t just test topics. They shape how far you can legally drive, when you have to rest, and how you stay compliant during a roadside inspection.

The classroom also covers the safety mindset Veriha expects on every load. Safety is the company’s number one value, and the training reflects that from the first day forward. You come away understanding not just what the regulations say, but why they exist and how they protect you.

Trip Planning, Maps, and Fuel Management

Good drivers make money by planning smart, and this is where that skill starts. You’ll practice reading routes, timing your stops, and mapping a run so you arrive on schedule without racing the clock. Trip planning sounds basic until you realize how much of your paycheck depends on doing it well.

Fuel management gets its own attention because it affects efficiency and, at many carriers, your bonuses. Learning to plan fuel stops and drive economically is a habit that pays off across a whole career. Veriha graduates tend to run more efficient miles precisely because these fundamentals get drilled early.

Vehicle Systems and Pre-Trip Knowledge

Before you ever put a truck in gear, you need to know what you’re looking at under the hood and around the rig. Classroom sessions introduce the major systems, including the air brakes that stop a loaded tractor-trailer, and the components you’ll be checking every single day. This knowledge is the backbone of the pre-trip inspection you’ll perform on the range.

A driving simulator supplements this early learning, letting you rehearse situations in a controlled setting before facing them for real. It’s a low-pressure way to build confidence and muscle memory. By the time you move fully to the range, the vocabulary and mechanics already feel familiar.

Skills on the Driving Range

The range is the fenced practice lot where you handle the truck without traffic. Veriha keeps the groups small, and time with your trainer is one on one, so you get real attention on the maneuvers that trip up most new drivers. While one student practices, another truck is usually available so classmates can run through their inspection routine.

The Pre-Trip Inspection Routine

Every professional driver starts their day with a pre-trip inspection, a head-to-tail check of the truck and trailer to catch problems before they become breakdowns or violations. On the range you’ll repeat this routine until it becomes second nature and you can talk through it out loud, which is exactly what your CDL examiner expects.

This is also a skill that follows you into the job itself. A clean, thorough pre-trip protects your safety record and can earn Clean DOT Inspection pay once you’re driving for Veriha. Learning to do it right the first time sets the tone for everything else.

Backing, Docking, and Maneuvering

Backing a 53-foot trailer is the part that intimidates newcomers, and it’s where range time earns its keep. You’ll practice the maneuvers examiners test and shippers expect, including the straight-line back, the offset back, the alley dock, and the reverse offset. Each one teaches you to control the trailer from the driver’s seat using your mirrors.

Repetition is the whole strategy here. The more reps you get in a quiet lot, the calmer you’ll be threading into a tight dock at a real customer. Winter weather in northeastern Wisconsin adds another layer, giving you practice in conditions that make you a more capable driver anywhere you go.

Coupling and Uncoupling the Trailer

Connecting the tractor to the trailer, called coupling, and safely separating them again is a daily task once you’re working. Done wrong, it’s dangerous and expensive, so the range is where you learn to do it correctly every time. You’ll practice lining up, locking the fifth wheel, hooking the lines, and confirming the connection is solid.

These reps build the kind of quiet competence that separates a professional from someone who just passed a test. By graduation, coupling and uncoupling should feel routine. That confidence is exactly what carriers are looking for in a new hire.

Behind the Wheel on the Open Road

Range skills only take you so far. The road is where you learn to run a truck in live traffic, at highway speed, with real freight behind you. This phase pairs you with an experienced in-cab trainer who coaches you through the situations you’ll face solo.

Shifting, Space, and Speed Management

On the road you’ll refine the everyday mechanics of driving a big rig: managing your following distance, reading traffic well ahead of you, and handling grades and curves with a loaded trailer. A fully loaded tractor-trailer needs far more room to stop than a car, and learning to manage that space is central to staying safe.

If you’re training on a manual, this is where shifting finally clicks through practice rather than theory. Your trainer is right beside you, so mistakes become teaching moments instead of disasters. Every mile makes the next one feel more natural.

Real Freight, Real Routes

Veriha builds road training around actual loads, not empty practice laps. You’ll haul live freight, plan real routes, and handle the loading-dock variety that comes with delivering to real customers. That firsthand exposure is why graduates transition to solo driving with genuine confidence.

You’ll also see the kind of freight you’ll be running once you’re hired. Veriha moves 100% no-touch dry van freight, which means you’re not unloading boxes by hand at every stop. Getting comfortable with that workflow during training makes your first solo weeks far less stressful.

The Co-Driving Phase and Going Solo

Toward the end of your over-the-road training, you may enter a co-driving phase where you’re paired with another student. The two of you run freight together, sharpening your skills with a peer before either of you takes a truck out alone. It’s a bridge between having a trainer in the seat and full independence.

When your skills meet the standard, you return to Marinette to pick up your solo truck. From there you’re a Veriha driver in your own right, with monthly learning modules that keep sharpening your safety and efficiency long after graduation. After 12 months, drivers who want to coach the next class can pursue the Train the Trainer course.

Earning Your Class A CDL

Before you can drive for Veriha Trucking as a solo driver, you’ll be required to obtain your Class A commercial driver’s license (CDL). The steps are set by federal and state rules, and your instructors help you meet each one:

• Apply for your CDL at a State Department of Transportation Driver’s License Site. You’ll be required to bring documents proving your birth date, full legal name and social security card.
• Testify that you are eligible to obtain a CDL by completing the Certification for Commercial Driver’s License form.
• Provide the required documents, including proof of citizenship, lawful permanent residency and either the employment authorization document (EAD) or I-94.
• Provide your current driver’s license showing your current address.
• Possess your commercial learner’s permit (CLP) for at least 14 days.
• Allow an interstate review of your driving record which must be clean in all 50 states.
• Pass a vision screening.
• Pass a written knowledge exam. If you are applying for any CDL endorsements, you will be required to pass a written exam for each endorsement as well.
• Pass a road skills test in the class of vehicle you are being licensed to operate.

After you obtain your CDL and complete your road training, you’ll be assigned your own Veriha tractor-trailer and start doing solo runs without a trainer. At that point your pay is based on the miles you drive at the rate for your fleet type, backed by a weekly guaranteed minimum that starts at $900 and grows as your average builds. A one-day hazmat training option is also available for drivers who want to add that endorsement.

The CDL Refresher Course

Not everyone starting over is brand new to trucks. Some people earned a Class A years ago, let it sit, or spent their time driving something smaller, and they need to knock the rust off before running freight again. Veriha’s CDL Refresher Course exists for exactly those drivers, and it’s tailored to the skills you already have rather than treating you like a first-timer.

The refresher runs as a one-week, 40-hour course priced at $1,550, with additional days available at $325 each if you need more time. Class sizes stay small, at a three-to-one student-to-instructor ratio, so the coaching is personal. During your week in Marinette, instructors assess your pre-trip knowledge, your backing across the straight-line, offset, alley dock, and reverse offset maneuvers, and your general driving, then rebuild your comfort through hands-on work, classroom time, and the driving simulator.

There’s a clear path forward if you want one. Drivers who complete the refresher and choose to join Veriha move into the student program, with training length based on the skills they showed during the assessment, often around four weeks of range and in-cab road work. During that stage you’re a paid Veriha employee, with training pay ranging from $600 to $750 per week, before you head back to Marinette to pick up a solo truck. During the refresher assessment itself, you’re a Veriha Driving Academy student rather than an employee.

Truck Driving Jobs at Veriha Trucking

A license is only useful if there’s a job on the other side of it, and Veriha hires drivers at nearly every stage of their careers. Here’s what the main roles look like, including what you’d do, what you’d earn, and what it takes to get hired.

Company-Paid Apprentice (No Experience Required)

This is the entry point for career changers with no trucking background. You’re hired from day one, paid from day one, and Veriha provides all the training needed to earn your Class A CDL and step straight into the fleet. The roughly eight-week program includes lodging in double-occupancy rooms, and the whole thing is built around not cutting corners so you finish genuinely ready to drive.

Pay in the apprenticeship starts with a weekly minimum of $900, and average first-year earnings run between $58,000 and $72,000 depending on your miles and area. Once you’re solo and showing safe driving habits, you also unlock the free Rider Program so a loved one can join you on the road. Most areas come with guaranteed weekly home time.

To qualify, you’ll need at least 12 months holding a regular driver’s license (Class D) in the U.S., be 21 or older, and have a safe driving record. You must be able to pass a pre-employment DOT drug screen, DOT physical, hair drug screen, and physical capability exam. No trucking experience is required, since the training is the whole point.

Over-the-Road Dry Van Driver

Over-the-road (OTR) drivers run Veriha’s dry van freight throughout the Midwest and Northeast and spend more time out before returning home. The freight is 100% no-touch, so you’re moving loads, not muscling boxes. OTR drivers are guaranteed 72 hours of home time, and there’s no forced dispatch, so you have real say over how your truck runs.

Experienced pay ranges from $68,000 to $100,000 a year depending on experience, with weekly earnings that typically average $1,400 to $2,000. As your average climbs, your weekly minimum floor grows with you, up to $1,400, so a slow week doesn’t wreck your paycheck. Detention pay, safety incentives, short-haul incentive pay, and hazmat and Clean DOT Inspection pay add to the base.

You’ll need a valid Class A CDL and at least three months of solo dry van 53-foot tractor-trailer experience. Candidates must pass a pre-employment DOT drug screen, DOT physical, hair drug screen, and physical capability exam, and complete a full pre-trip inspection during a road evaluation.

Regional Dry Van Driver

If getting home more often matters to you, the regional role keeps you closer to your area while still running Veriha’s dry van freight across the Midwest and Northeast. Regional drivers are guaranteed 48 hours of home time and, in most areas, get home weekly. The freight is the same 100% no-touch dry van, and dispatch is never forced.

Experienced regional pay ranges from $68,000 to $95,000 a year based on experience, with the same weekly minimum guarantee that rises as your average does. You get the full benefits package, the free Rider Program, and the Pet Program so you’re never on the road without options for company. Weekly direct deposit keeps your pay predictable.

Hiring requirements mirror the OTR role: a valid Class A CDL, the ability to pass a pre-employment DOT drug screen, DOT physical, hair drug screen, and physical capability exam, plus a full pre-trip inspection during a road evaluation. Drivers with recent solo tractor-trailer experience are the best fit.

Home Daily Driver (Green Bay)

For drivers who want to sleep in their own bed every night, Veriha runs Home Daily positions out of Green Bay, Wisconsin. These are Monday-through-Friday runs with 12-to-14-hour shifts, operating across Wisconsin and Illinois. It’s a strong option for anyone balancing family life who still wants trucking money.

Pay runs $1,300 to $1,600 in weekly gross based on your experience level, and the same driver-first perks carry over: the weekly minimum guarantee up to $1,400, 100% no-touch freight, no forced dispatch, and 24/7 support from real people rather than a phone tree. Equipment problems go straight to the Director of Maintenance, who calls drivers directly.

To be considered you’ll need at least six months of solo experience with your Class A CDL. You must also pass a pre-employment DOT drug screen, DOT physical, hair drug screen, and functional capacity evaluation. Openings are limited, since these home-daily seats fill quickly.

Finishing Program for New CDL Holders

Plenty of people finish CDL school somewhere else and then realize they need real-world seasoning before running solo. Veriha’s Finishing Program is built for newly licensed drivers with less than three months of solo experience, helping them put classroom lessons into practice. You earn while you get that experience, with immediate fleet placement in your home area.

The program pays a base of $0.44 per mile (CPM), with first-year earnings reaching up to $70,000 based on miles driven, and a weekly minimum that starts at $900 and climbs from there. You get two pay reviews in your first year, one at 90 days and one at six months, tied to safety, maintenance, and operational performance. Training keeps the same small-group feel, at a four-to-one student-to-instructor ratio.

Requirements include holding your Class A CDL, completing a DOT physical with a one-year card, and passing MVR, DOT drug and alcohol, functional capacity, and a hair follicle test that looks back nine months, along with Clearinghouse and background screenings. A short video interview and phone interview round out the process. First-week skill assessment in Marinette confirms where your training should start.

Owner-Operator / Independent Contractor

Drivers who own their truck and want off the spot-market roller coaster can contract with Veriha for steadier work. The draw here is consistency: strong contracted rates, reliable freight lanes, and support to hit your business goals rather than chasing loads week to week. You’re running your own business, but you’re not doing it alone.

Revenue runs between $3,500 and $6,000 per week based on how you run, and contractors get the same negotiated fuel prices Veriha uses for its company drivers. Technology to track and improve your business metrics comes with the arrangement, which helps you protect your margins.

To contract, you’ll need to own your own truck, hold a Class A CDL, be 21 or older, and have at least six months of experience. You must also pass a pre-employment DOT drug screen, DOT physical, and hair drug screen. It’s a fit for established drivers ready to run their own operation with a stable partner behind them.

What You’ll Make Your First Year

First-year pay is the question almost every career changer asks first, and the honest answer at Veriha is that a new driver can expect solid, livable money right out of training. Apprentices average $58,000 to $72,000 in year one, and the Finishing Program reaches up to $70,000 based on miles. Academy graduates as a group have averaged roughly $55,000 to $85,000 in their first year, depending on route, effort, and where they run.

The reason those numbers hold up is the weekly minimum guarantee. Your pay floor starts at $900 a week and rises as your average builds, so a slow freight week doesn’t leave you scrambling. That predictability is a big part of why people leave hourly jobs for the truck.

For a broader gut check, driver pay reported across the company averages in the mid-$70,000s per year. Your exact figure depends on your fleet, your miles, and the incentives you earn, but the first year is designed to reward the work rather than starve you while you learn.

Pay After Five Years and Beyond

Experience pays in this trade, and Veriha’s pay scale reflects it. Seasoned Class A drivers earn between $68,000 and $100,000 a year, with weekly earnings that commonly average $1,400 to $2,000. Drivers can earn up to 0.60 cents per mile once their record, work history, and experience are factored in.

Getting to the top of that range isn’t just about time served. Safety incentives, detention pay, short-haul incentive pay, hazmat and Clean DOT Inspection pay, and steady miles all stack on top of your base. Drivers who protect their safety record and run efficiently tend to sit at the higher end.

There’s also room to grow beyond the driver’s seat. After a year, drivers can train for the Train the Trainer program to coach new hires, and the company’s structure leaves the door open to trainer and management-track roles. A five-year driver at Veriha isn’t stuck; they’ve usually built both their paycheck and their options.

Your Path from Graduation to a Truck of Your Own

One of the biggest anxieties in changing careers is finishing training and then hitting a wall in the job hunt. Veriha closes that gap directly. Graduates who successfully complete the program and meet the hiring requirements receive priority consideration to be placed into a Veriha Trucking fleet, and company-paid apprentices step into immediate placement upon completion.

Because the school and the carrier are part of the same family-owned operation, you already know the company culture and expectations before your first solo dispatch. There’s no cold applying to a stranger and hoping for a callback. The relationship starts on day one of training and carries straight through to your own truck.

That pathway is the whole idea behind the program: train with purpose, meet the standard, and drive. For someone leaving an uncertain job, knowing a driving position is waiting at the end takes a lot of the fear out of the leap.

Life as an Over-the-Road Driver

It’s worth being straight about the lifestyle, because the road isn’t for everyone. Over-the-road driving means time away from home, meals and sleep on a rig rather than at your kitchen table, and adjusting to a schedule that doesn’t look like a nine-to-five. The first few months ask a lot of your patience while you find your rhythm.

The rewards, though, are real and specific. You get guaranteed home time you can plan around, 48 hours for regional drivers and 72 for OTR, built by a planning team around when you say you need to be home. The Rider and Pet Programs mean you don’t have to leave your people or your dog behind. No forced dispatch means you’re treated like the captain of your truck.

There’s also the day-to-day support that makes the miles easier. Fleet leaders hold a 15-minute response standard and check in on you proactively, so you’re never chasing anyone down, and 24/7 help comes from actual people. For drivers who want independence and steady pay without feeling like a number, that combination is the appeal of the job.

Support for Veterans

Military experience translates well to trucking, and Veriha actively recruits from that community. The company has set a goal of building its fleet to 30% veterans and active military personnel, and it supports service members moving into civilian careers with training and a clear on-ramp into driving.

That commitment isn’t just talk. Veriha drivers have been recognized as finalists in the national Transition Trucking: Driving for Excellence award, which honors veterans making the move into professional driving. If you’re transitioning out of service and weighing a stable trade, this is a company that has walked that path with others before you.

Benefits

• Named a TCA Elite Fleet in 2025 and 2026, based largely on driver feedback.
• From day one of the company-paid apprenticeship you start earning a wage.
• Hands-on paid training from experienced, state-qualified instructors at Veriha Driving Academy.
• Full tuition reimbursement after driving for Veriha for 12 months, with no binding contract.
• Guaranteed home time: 48 hours for regional drivers and 72 hours for OTR drivers.
• Weekly minimum pay starting at $900 that grows with your average, up to $1,400.
• Experienced driver pay ranging from $68,000 to $100,000 annually, averaging $1,400 to $2,000 per week.
• 100% no-touch dry van freight.
• No forced dispatch, so you’re the captain of your truck.
• Detention pay one hour after the scheduled appointment time.
• Weekly safety incentive and short-haul incentive pay.
• Hazmat and Clean DOT Inspection pay.
• Two performance-based pay reviews in your first year.
• Vacation pay and holiday pay.
• Medical, dental and vision insurance.
• Company-paid life insurance.
• 401(k) retirement plan with company match.
• Employee Assistance Program and Teladoc access.
• In-person or virtual access to an on-site health and wellness coach.
• Voluntary plan options, including Short-Term and Long-Term Disability, Critical Illness, Hospital Indemnity, Accident insurance and Voluntary Life Insurance.
• Rider Program and Pet Program so loved ones can join you on the road.
• 24/7 driver support from real people, not a phone tree.
• Fleet leaders with a 15-minute response standard who check in proactively.
• Equipment issues handled directly by the Director of Maintenance, with a different truck for repeat problems.
• Paid orientation and weekly direct deposit.
• Late-model tractors only, treated as your home and office on wheels.
• Driver referral rewards.
• Wisconsin Workforce Development and WIOA funding available for those who qualify.
• Family-owned and operated, and a certified Women’s Business Enterprise.

Requirements

• You must be at least 21 years of age or older to qualify.
• For the no-experience apprenticeship, you must have held a regular driver’s license (Class D) in the U.S. for at least 12 months.
• You must provide proof of legal U.S. work authorization.
• You must meet Department of Homeland Security and Transportation Security Administration requirements.
• You must possess a current valid driver’s license from the state you reside in.
• You must obtain a valid Class A Commercial Learner’s Permit (CLP) from your state of residency.
• You must pass a Department of Transportation (DOT) physical and obtain a valid medical card.
• You must pass a pre-employment DOT drug and alcohol screening.
• You must pass a hair drug screen that looks back nine months.
• You must pass a physical capability exam or functional capacity evaluation where required.
• You must have a clean Motor Vehicle Report (MVR) and a driving record that is clear across all 50 states.
• You must not have failed any drug or alcohol tests in the past 5 years (DUI, OWI, DWI or BAC).
• You must pass Clearinghouse and background screenings.
• You must complete a short recorded video interview and a phone interview.
• Experienced roles require recent solo Class A tractor-trailer experience (three or more months for OTR and regional dry van, six or more months for home daily).
• Any felony convictions will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis.

Commonly Asked Questions

Do I have to pay for CDL training at Veriha?

The company-paid apprenticeship hires you as an employee first, pays you from day one, and covers your lodging, so there’s no large tuition sitting on your shoulders. If you enroll directly through Veriha Driving Academy as a student, a $500 non-refundable deposit holds your seat and tuition applies, but you can earn it all back through reimbursement after driving for Veriha for 12 months.

How long does the program take?

The Veriha Driving Academy CDL program runs about 4 to 6 weeks, while the company-paid apprenticeship path runs roughly 8 weeks including your placement into the fleet. Your exact timeline depends on which route you take and how quickly you master each milestone.

Do I need any trucking experience to start?

No. The apprenticeship is built for people with no trucking background, and all the training you need is provided. You’ll just need to have held a regular driver’s license for at least 12 months and meet the other basic requirements.

How old do I have to be?

You must be at least 21 years old to qualify for training and hire. This aligns with the federal age requirement for driving a commercial vehicle across state lines.

Where is the training located?

Training takes place in Marinette, Wisconsin, in the northeastern part of the state. Students come from Green Bay, Milwaukee, and across the Midwest, and the winter driving conditions there give you experience that makes you a stronger driver anywhere.

Is lodging provided while I train?

Apprentices have lodging arranged in double-occupancy rooms, not dorm-style bunks. Direct-enroll students have discounted lodging options available, and free lodging is offered seasonally for out-of-state students.

What kind of license and freight will I work with?

You’ll earn a Class A CDL, which lets you operate a full tractor-trailer. Veriha runs 100% no-touch dry van freight, so you’re moving loads rather than hand-unloading them at the dock.

How much will I earn in my first year?

First-year drivers generally average between $58,000 and $72,000, backed by a weekly minimum that starts at $900 and grows with your average. Your final number depends on your fleet, your miles, and the incentives you earn.

Is there really a job waiting when I finish?

Graduates who complete the program and meet the hiring requirements receive priority consideration for placement into a Veriha fleet, and company-paid apprentices move into immediate placement. Because the school and the carrier are the same family-owned operation, the pathway from training to a truck is built in.

Does Veriha support veterans and offer funding help?

Yes. Veriha actively recruits veterans and active military personnel and aims to build its fleet to 30% from that community. Wisconsin residents may also qualify for Workforce Development and WIOA funding to reduce training costs.

Veriha Trucking School Location:

Veriha Trucking, Inc.
2830 Cleveland Avenue
Marinette, WI 54143