Best CDL & Trucking Schools in Nashville, Tennessee (2026)

Quick answer: CDL truck drivers in Tennessee earn a median of $58,620 per year (BLS OEWS, May 2025). This page lists accredited CDL truck driver schools near Nashville, Tennessee with local wage data and median graduate earnings for each school.

Nashville sits within the Tennessee CDL truck driver workforce, served by accredited training providers. For context, the state median annual wage for this occupation is approximately $58,620 (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Nashville Quick Facts

MetricValueSource
State median annual wage$58,620BLS OEWS, May 2025
Tennessee pay range (10th to 90th percentile)$39,960 to $83,280BLS OEWS, May 2025
Nashville, TN metro median wage$60,630BLS OEWS, May 2025
National job outlook (2024 to 2034)+4.0% growth, about 237,600 openings per yearBLS Employment Projections, 2024-2034
State employment64,890 workersBLS OEWS, May 2025
Davidson County establishments210BLS QCEW, 2024
Davidson County industry employment6,100BLS QCEW, 2024
Davidson County unemployment rate2.9%BLS LAUS, 2024
Tennessee location quotient1.49BLS OEWS, May 2025

Nearby Cities

Explore the CDL truck driver Career

What You’ll Find Below

The school listings below are sorted by proximity to Nashville. Each entry includes the school name, address, and the credentials offered. Use the Davidson County and Tennessee figures above as a reference point when comparing program length, schedule, and tuition.


CDL & Truck Driver Training Schools near Nashville

How We Rank Schools

We first gather the schools closest to the city or state page you are viewing, then rank that local group by BOC Score, with the highest at the top. The BOC Score is computed from federal IPEDS and College Scorecard data; schools without enough data to score appear last.

Location / proximity to this page
Defines the local group
Graduation rate
30%
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
25%
Average net price (lower is better)
20%
Retention rate
15%
Fully online availability
10%

Schools without enough federal outcome data appear after ranked schools, without a score. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.

#3

Madisonville Community College

Madisonville, KY 91.5 miles away BOC Score 55.9
Tuition Contact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Completion rate: 51.7% (College Scorecard)
  • Programs offered: 43
  • Annual completions: 2086
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $54,485 (College Scorecard)
  • Online programs available

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#4

Hopkinsville Community College

Hopkinsville, KY 63.0 miles away BOC Score 50.6
Tuition $4,728 - $14,469
Contact
Key stats
  • Graduation rate: 41.0%
  • Programs offered: 42
  • Annual completions: 1628
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $46,788 (College Scorecard)
  • Online programs available

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#5

Tennessee College of Applied Technology-Hohenwald

Hohenwald, TN 61.6 miles away BOC Score 50.1
Tuition Contact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Completion rate: 57.2% (College Scorecard)
  • Programs offered: 30
  • Annual completions: 485
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $43,241 (College Scorecard)

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

Truck Driver Pay and Job Outlook

Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers annual wage by percentile: $40,140 at the 10th percentile, $58,640 median, $79,380 at the 90th. Source: U.S. BLS OEWS, May 2025 release.
What heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers earn across the pay scale
Projected job growth for heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers: 2,235,100 jobs in 2024 to 2,324,400 in 2034, +4.0% change. Source: U.S. BLS Employment Projections, 2024-2034.
Projected job growth for heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers
Top-paying states for heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers - Alaska leads at $70,100. Source: U.S. BLS OEWS, May 2025 release.
Top-paying states for heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers

Next Steps

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does CDL truck driver training take near Nashville?

CDL truck driver certificate programs near Nashville typically take 6 to 12 months of full-time study, while associate degree programs generally run about 2 years. Actual completion time depends on schedule (full-time vs. part-time) and any prerequisite coursework.

How much do CDL truck drivers earn in Tennessee?

According to BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2025), CDL truck drivers in Tennessee earned a median annual wage of approximately $58,620. Pay varies with experience, certification, and employer; the 10th to 90th percentile range was approximately $39,960 to $83,280 (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

How many CDL truck driver schools are near Nashville?

Davidson County reports approximately 210 CDL truck driver related establishments employing about 6,100 workers (BLS QCEW, 2024). Compare the schools listed above for tuition, duration, and credential alignment with the local employer base.


About this guide: Researched and written by the TradeCareerPath Editorial Team. Our editorial team researches and sources every trade school and career guide using federal labor and education data, including BLS OEWS and Employment Projections, DOL apprenticeship records, IPEDS, College Scorecard, and state licensing boards. We follow the editorial standards documented at /editorial-policy/.

Data sources

Figures on this page are sourced from the federal and state datasets below. Methodology: how we rank and source data.

DataProviderVintage
Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsMay 2025
Employment ProjectionsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics2024-2034
Integrated Postsecondary Education Data SystemNational Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)2024
College Scorecard (school-level outcomes)U.S. Department of Educationlatest release
College Scorecard (field-of-study earnings)U.S. Department of Educationlatest release (updated 2026-06-12)
Occupational licensing requirementsCareerOneStop (U.S. Department of Labor)latest release (updated 2026-02-22)
Registered apprenticeship programsCareerOneStop / Apprenticeship.gov (U.S. Department of Labor)latest release (updated 2025-10-25)