| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Type | Campus-based truck driving school; one program, Class A CDL |
| Locations | 20 training locations in 13 states: AL, AZ, CA, FL (3), GA (3), MS, NC, NE, OH, PA, SC, TN and TX (4) |
| Credential | No degree; the course prepares students for their state’s Class A CDL tests, and the state issues the license |
| Program length | 160 clock hours over 18 weekdays in the Florida and California catalogs effective fall 2025 (180 hours, 200 at Columbus and Dunn, in the January 2025 catalog); other state catalogs not checked |
| Accreditation | None; licensed in each state where it operates and listed on the FMCSA Training Provider Registry |
| Federal aid | No (not approved for Title IV) |
| Tuition | $7,495 in the Florida and California catalogs (2025–26), plus fees |
| Owner | Career Path Training Corp., a subsidiary of Werner Enterprises since 2014 |
| Founded | 1992, in Tampa, Florida; headquarters in St. Petersburg, Florida (no classes there) |
| Facts checked | October 2026 |
A Werner-owned CDL school with 20 locations
Roadmaster Drivers School trains people for a Class A commercial driver’s license (CDL), the license needed to drive tractor-trailers. It started in 1992 at the Florida State Fairgrounds in Tampa and opened its second school, in Columbus, Ohio, in 1995. Its parent, Career Path Training Corp., is a subsidiary of Werner Enterprises, the Omaha truckload carrier that bought Roadmaster in May 2014. Werner is also one of the carriers that offers Roadmaster graduates tuition reimbursement.
Every location teaches the same full-time day course. Roadmaster’s Florida and California catalogs effective fall 2025 cut it from 180 to 160 clock hours and drop the classroom general-knowledge course: applicants must now complete federally required entry-level driver training (ELDT) theory before they start. The Atlanta location moved to a new site in late 2025.
One program: Class A CDL training
| Program | Credential | Length | Delivery | Where offered | Prepares for | Sample cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Commercial Truck Driver Training (Class A CDL) | Training only; the state issues the CDL | 160 clock hours over 18 days (FL and CA catalogs, fall 2025); other state catalogs not checked | In person, full-time days | All 20 locations | State Class A CDL knowledge (permit) and skills tests | $7,535 total at the Florida locations (Oct 2025); $7,695 at Fontana, CA (Sep 2025) |
What the 160-hour course covers
The current course has three parts: CTD 101 Vehicle Inspections (45 hours, lab and pad), CTD 102 Basic Control Skills (85 hours, pad and road) and CTD 103 Road Driving (30 hours, pad and road). Classes run Monday to Friday, 7:30 am to 5:30 pm. A score of 80 to 100 is a pass.
The earlier 180-hour version, still described on parts of Roadmaster’s website, included 40 hours of classroom general knowledge plus hours of service and trip planning, pre-trip inspection, backing and road driving. That classroom theory is now a prerequisite, and we could not find who provides it or what it costs, so ask before you enroll.
Location pages stress automatic-transmission trucks, and the catalog warns that taking the skills test in an automatic puts an automatic-transmission restriction on the CDL. Third-party CDL skills testing is available on site at some locations, including Columbus, Dallas, Dunn and Millington. The catalogs list no Class B, hazmat or refresher programs.
Cost and paying without federal aid
| Catalog | Tuition | Fees | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Florida (Tampa, Jacksonville, Apopka), effective 20 Oct 2025 to 31 Dec 2026 | $7,495 | $40 consumer report fee | $7,535 |
| California (Fontana), effective 29 Sep 2025 to 31 Dec 2026 | $7,495 | $200 registration fee; $0 STRF | $7,695 |
Neither total includes the DOT physical and drug screen (about $160), lodging, meals, travel or CDL test retakes. We did not find catalog prices for the other 11 states. Under the California catalog, students get a full refund, less the $200 registration fee, within seven business days or through the first day of class, then a pro rata refund by hours completed.
Roadmaster is not approved for federal student aid (Title IV). Its cost page describes Workforce Pell Grants for short CDL programs from 1 July 2026, but only for programs of 8 to 15 weeks and 150 to 599 hours; Roadmaster’s course is about four weeks, so ask before counting on a Pell Grant. Ways students pay instead:
- School financing. Roadmaster offers financing of up to 100% of tuition for qualified applicants. At Fontana, institutional loans made up 84% of non-government aid in 2024, according to its BPPE annual report.
- Carrier tuition reimbursement. Partner carriers, including Werner, Covenant, Stevens and May Trucking, reimburse up to 100% of tuition after graduation, paid in monthly installments while the graduate works for them.
- WIOA and vocational rehabilitation. Roadmaster accepts WIOA workforce funding, and Fontana also records vocational rehabilitation funding.
- Veterans. Roadmaster says it is approved for veterans’ education benefits and accepts the Post-9/11 GI Bill at multiple locations; ask whether yours is one. Fontana received $88,163.73 in VA benefits in 2024.
Admissions and the daily schedule
Applicants must be at least 18 to drive within their state and 21 to drive across state lines. They need a valid driver’s license, an acceptable DOT physical and drug screen, and, under the fall 2025 catalogs, Class A ELDT theory already recorded on the FMCSA Training Provider Registry. The January 2025 Florida catalog also requires enough English for safety compliance.
New classes start every week; the catalog lists 52 sessions a year. The course is full time on weekdays only, with no evening or weekend option, and time lost to holidays is made up. Attendance is strict: a first unexcused absence can lead to dismissal at the location manager’s discretion, and a second means dismissal.
State licenses and Fontana’s published results
Roadmaster is not accredited at any location; its catalog says so. Each location is licensed by its state, for example by the Florida Commission for Independent Education, California’s Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education (BPPE), the Texas Workforce Commission and the Tennessee Higher Education Commission. All locations are on the FMCSA Training Provider Registry, and Roadmaster is a member of the Commercial Vehicle Training Association.
The only published results we found are Fontana’s BPPE School Performance Fact Sheet, for the earlier 180-hour program:
| Fontana, CA (BPPE) | 2023 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| Students who began | 427 | 410 |
| Completed within 150% of program length | 350 (81%) | 345 (84%) |
| Graduates employed in the field | 328 of 356 (92%) | 340 of 352 (97%) |
| CDL-A licensure exam pass rate | 218 of 352 (62%) | 215 of 331 (65%) |
BPPE’s 2024 annual report records 338 graduates placed “with institution or affiliated employer” and puts all 340 employed graduates’ pay in the $45,001 to $50,000 band. We found no completion or placement figures for the other 19 locations.
Invalid CDLs at Bethlehem and the 2024 settlement
In about July 2022, PennDOT told graduates of Roadmaster’s Bethlehem, PA location that their CDLs had been “improperly issued” and that they had to retest or lose them. A class action filed in federal court in Pennsylvania later in 2022 alleged that training documents had been signed by instructors who were not certified by the state. Roadmaster denied wrongdoing and settled for $400,000, about $800 per class member, paid automatically to students who paid tuition between 26 October 2016 and 10 May 2024. The final approval hearing was set for 18 September 2024, and the court granted final approval.
Closed and moved locations
Roadmaster’s Grandview (Kansas City) and St. Louis, Missouri, and Oklahoma City, Oklahoma locations were in its September 2024 location list but are not in its September 2025 catalog or on its website, and we treat them as closed. We previously also listed a North Las Vegas, Nevada location, but we found no evidence that Roadmaster ever operated there. Three locations have moved: Columbus to Frank Road in 2020, Orlando to West Orange Avenue in Apopka, and Atlanta from Lithia Springs to Mendel Court SW in late 2025.
Before you enroll
- Roadmaster is not accredited at any location and cannot offer federal grants or loans, so tuition is paid by the student, a school loan, a carrier, a workforce agency or VA benefits.
- The 160-hour course assumes you have already completed ELDT theory. Ask how and where you will do it and what it costs, since that is not in the tuition the catalogs list.
- If you take your skills test in an automatic truck, your CDL will carry an automatic-transmission restriction, which limits the trucks you can drive.
- Carrier tuition reimbursement is paid in monthly installments only while you work for that carrier. Read the terms of any school loan and reimbursement plan before you sign.
- Fontana’s reported CDL-A pass rate was 62% in 2023 and 65% in 2024, and the website and some location pages still describe the older 180-hour course. Ask your location for its current hours and recent results.
Housing and job placement
Roadmaster has no dorms. The California catalog says the school keeps a relationship with a local hotel, that students use hotels and private rentals within about 25 miles, and that it has no responsibility to find or help with housing. Placement staff give career guidance at no charge, but the catalog states that Roadmaster does not guarantee employment. Graduates may choose among carriers, and employers can verify graduation through DriveriQ SingleCheck.
Sources
Checked October 2026: Roadmaster locations · Fontana, CA catalog (Sep 2025) · Florida catalog (Oct 2025) · BPPE 2024 annual report, Fontana · Werner Enterprises release on the Roadmaster acquisition · Roadmaster cost page · Roadmaster tuition reimbursement · Bethlehem class action settlement
Programs & Courses
Commercial truck driving
- Commercial Truck Driver Training, Class A CDL (called Class A ELDT Behind-the-Wheel Training in the Florida catalog; 160 clock hours over 18 days in the 2025–26 Florida and California catalogs)
Campus Locations
Bessemer, AL 2570 Five Star Parkway, Bessemer, AL 35022
Phoenix, AZ 2350 S 48th Ave, Phoenix, AZ 85043
Fontana, CA 10251 Calabash Ave, Fontana, CA 92335
Jacksonville, FL 1409 Pickettville Rd, Jacksonville, FL 32220
Apopka, FL 2580 W Orange Ave, Apopka, FL 32703
Tampa, FL 5025 Orient Rd, Tampa, FL 33610
Atlanta, GA 4797 Mendel Court SW, Atlanta, GA 30336
Conley, GA 4272 Transport City Dr, Conley, GA 30288
Savannah, GA 30 Artley Rd, Savannah, GA 31408
Jackson, MS 1500 W Highland Dr, Jackson, MS 39204
Dunn, NC 1100 S Clinton Ave, Dunn, NC 28335
Omaha, NE 10008 Sapp Bros Dr, Suite C, Omaha, NE 68138
Columbus, OH 977 Frank Rd, Columbus, OH 43223
Bethlehem, PA 4219 Fritch Dr, Bethlehem, PA 18020
Columbia, SC 1602 Andrews Rd, Columbia, SC 29201
Millington, TN 8050 Singleton Ave, Millington, TN 38053
Dallas, TX 8701 Peterbilt Ave, Dallas, TX 75241
Fort Worth, TX 309 Successful Dr, Fort Worth, TX 76140
Houston, TX 1224 Normandy St, Houston, TX 77015
San Antonio, TX 927 Eddie Rd, San Antonio, TX 78219