Private CDL career training school

How to get approval of a CDL training course

  • Email all of the following to the CDL Program at cdlprogram@dol.wa.gov:
    • Your school name and address.
    • Your Unified Business Identifier (UBI) number.
    • Your school phone number, fax number, email address, and website address.
    • The names of all the individuals authorized to sign the school certificate.
    • Curriculum outlines for knowledge, attitudinal, and skill concepts. The outline should identify all of the following:
      • The class of CDL (Class A, B, or C).
      • The specific training component/activity.
      • The core module the activity applies to (classroom, street driving, backing maneuvers, proficiency development, or lab/range/observation).
      • The total hours of instruction per module.
      • Instructional material and resources used to teach the course (textbooks, video, etc.).
      • The total hours of instruction for the entire course.
  • Submit a curriculum outline to the Workforce Training and Education Coordinating Board (WTECB) at the same time you submit your curriculum outline to us. When we approve your curriculum outline, we’ll notify WTECB. They won’t approve your school until they receive notification from us that your curriculum has been approved.
  • If you’re currently a licensed private CDL career training school and are significantly changing your course curriculum to meet the new minimum training requirements, you must update your program information with WTECB.

Getting a school ID number

After we’ve reviewed and approved your curriculum outline, we’ll mail you a letter with the unique school ID number assigned to your training school. You must place this number on each certificate form you issue.

Changing authorized signers

Any time you add or delete an authorized signer, you must notify the CDL Program by:

  • Email: cdlprogram@dol.wa.gov.
  • Fax: 360-570-4915.
  • or
  • Mail:
    CDL Program
    Department of Licensing
    PO Box 9030
    Olympia, WA 98507-9030

How to certify students

After you’ve received your unique school ID number, you may certify that students have successfully completed a CDL training course at your school. Students won’t need a certificate to take CDL knowledge or skills tests, but must present an original certificate when they’re issued their CDLs.

To issue a training certificate for your private CDL career training school:

  1. Complete a Commercial Driver Training School Certification form. You may fill it out online, but you can’t save it. Be sure to:
    • Type the information. We can’t accept handwritten certificates.
    • Provide your unique school ID number in the “School ID number” field at the top of the certificate.
    • Provide your Unified Business Identifier (UBI) number.
    • Indicate the class of vehicle the student has completed training in.
  2. Print the typed, completed form on white paper, sign it, and give it to the student. The student will need the original certificate to present to a driver licensing office when he or she is issued a CDL. We can’t accept photocopied, faxed, emailed, or handwritten certificates from the student.
  3. Keep a copy of the completed, signed certificate for your records.

Required monthly report

By the 5th of each month, all approved private career schools must email the names of all the students they certified for the previous month to the CDL Program at cdlprogram@dol.wa.gov.

Questions?

If you have any questions, call the CDL Program at 360-902-3619 or email us at cdlprogram@dol.wa.gov.

Access Washington