Trucking Life Academy · Dalton, GA · off I-75
Trucking Life Academy trains Class A CDL drivers in Dalton, Georgia, on real trucks and a real range — an eight-weekend program on manual-transmission equipment. The next class runs December 13, 2026 – January 31, 2027. Class 2 has seats open. A $500 deposit holds your seat, and it is refundable in full if certification is not granted. Georgia DDS school certification is in process. Until it is granted we do not describe the Academy as a licensed CDL school.
17 yrs
On the road
0
Violations
CDL-A
What you earn
4
Training phases
Programs & tuition
Trucking Life Academy is located at 1821 Wendell Street, Dalton, GA 30721, right off the I-75 corridor — serving Whitfield County, North Georgia, and the Chattanooga area. See the areas we serve →
Tuition is $3,795 for the in-person Class A program — the same for either format.
The weekend program runs eight weekends, Saturdays and Sundays, on manual-transmission trucks.
Class 2 has seats open. A $500 deposit holds your seat, and it is refundable in full if certification is not granted.
Georgia DDS school certification is in process. Until it is granted we do not describe the Academy as a licensed CDL school.
| Class | Dates | Format | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Class 1 | October 18, 2026 – December 6, 2026 | weekend | Sold out |
| Class 2 | December 13, 2026 – January 31, 2027 | weekend | Seats open |
| Class 3 | February 2027 | weekend | Seats open |
A $500 deposit holds your seat, and it is refundable in full if certification is not granted.
1821 Wendell Street
Dalton, GA 30721
Get directions to the yard (opens Google Maps in a new tab) →
Training happens at the Dalton yard. These are the areas drivers travel from:
Students train in manual 10-speed trucks, giving them practical experience with equipment used throughout the trucking industry.
Job-placement assistance is available to graduates. We help students connect with trucking companies and employment opportunities, but employment is not guaranteed.
Class 2 has seats open. A $500 deposit holds your seat, and it is refundable in full if certification is not granted. No payment is collected on this site.
Apply for a SeatThe mission
The trucking industry is full of schools that treat students like a number and lenders that treat them like a mark. Trucking Life Academy is the opposite of that. Founder Shawn Gresham has spent 17 years in the seat with zero violations, and he built this school to hand that experience down the way it should be — straight, practical, and on the driver’s side. No fluff. No games. Just the training it takes to earn a CDL-A and actually be ready for the road.
The founder’s story
2008. A single-wide trailer, three little girls, and a dish-washing job that paid $6 an hour. Gas was high — just like right now. I knew driving trucks was how I was going to take care of my family.
The car I could afford was a $400 Pathfinder. The alternator went out. I didn’t have $100 for a new one, but my Grandpa had six batteries and a battery charger — so I loaded all six into the car and swapped them out on the side of the road as they died.
The shifter was broke too. To start it, I’d climb under the bumper, drop it in neutral, crank it, then climb back under to put it in drive. I pulled the emergency brake every time so it wouldn’t run me over. Sometimes it was raining. I’d change my clothes after.
I changed those batteries twice on the way to CDL school the first morning, and three more times on the way home.
I didn’t even have enough gas to make it back. One of the teachers offered me $15 a day to clean up after class. I’ll never forget him.
I finished eight weeks of school. Then nobody would hire me, because of a little background from something stupid I did as a kid. I was on probation. I called and called.
Finally a man named Billy Kay at Rosedale Transport said yes. The day before orientation, my probation officer killed it. I went over his head, got the green light, and called Rosedale back — but they had already moved on.
So I called Billy Kay every day for a week, at different times, asking the same question. On Friday, he gave me my answer.
If you’re as good a driver as you are determined, I’ll just hire you so you’ll quit calling.
The following Tuesday I was in orientation. Three months later, I became a trainer.
Life has hit hard more than once since then, but every hard season taught me something I later poured into my books, my YouTube channel, and this school.
17 yrs
On the road
0
Violations
7
Books on Amazon
84K+
Followers
I lost 93 pounds after changing the way I ate and building a routine I could maintain while working on the road. Carnivore in the Truck shares the simple meals and practical habits that helped me stay consistent. This is my personal experience, not a promise that everyone will achieve the same result.
People told me I couldn’t write because I can’t spell. One of my books has a misspelled word on the front cover.
I had an investor lined up for the school, but he wanted to charge too much and run it like every other diploma mill. I walked away.
This school isn’t for the businessman. It’s for the people.
I had the curriculum. I had the channels and media to fill the school. I just needed the right foundation.
Two days after I turned down the money, we got the lot.
A week later, a driver I trained — Jose Cotto — saw a video of me talking about the school and sent a truck to the lot.
A few weeks later, Brown’s Diesel Repair had students who needed CDLs, and we worked out a deal on a day cab.
Then Miss Jennifer Blount from Idle Leasing stepped in and sent a trailer.
50 drivers stepped up and funded the school.
Drivers helping drivers built Trucking Life Academy. It’s not a dream anymore. It’s a mission to help drivers succeed.
I don’t give up. Never have. Never will.
— Shawn Gresham, founder & lead instructor
Our equipment
Real trucks. Real-world training. Built by drivers for drivers.
Equipment donors
These businesses helped put our school on wheels. Their generosity is helping future drivers get their start.
2014 Freightliner Donor
Thank you to JC Trucking Business Solutions LLC for donating this 2014 Freightliner to Trucking Life Academy. Your generosity is helping us give future drivers hands-on training and a path toward a new career.
2012 International Donor
Thank you to Brown’s Diesel for donating this 2012 International to Trucking Life Academy. Your support is helping us build a school where future drivers can learn, practice, and prepare for the road ahead.
The program journey
No mystery, no filler. This is the road through the program — and it starts free, before you spend a dollar.
1 · Before day one
Free Knowledge Center guides and practice tests — or the full CDL Pre-School head start.
2 · Phase 1
ELDT theory curriculum: pass the CDL knowledge tests and earn your CLP.
3 · Phase 2
Pre-trip inspection, backing, docking, and coupling — on real equipment.
4 · Phase 3
Real roads and real traffic, taught from 17 years of clean-record experience.
5 · Phase 4
Polish for the CDL-A skills test, plus the endorsements worth adding.
6 · After the CDL
Straight talk on first-year jobs and career paths — guidance, not promises.
Where the school stands
Most schools make you sit through a sales call to learn the basics. We publish them — including the part that is still in process.
Class A CDL curriculum — theory and behind-the-wheel
Theory + behind-the-wheel, published phase by phase on the Curriculum page.
$3,795
The same for the weekend and weekday formats. A $500 deposit holds your seat, and it is refundable in full if certification is not granted.
December 13, 2026 – January 31, 2027
Saturdays and Sundays for eight weekends. The full schedule is above.
In process
Georgia DDS school certification is in process. We publish where it stands rather than waiting — and we think every school should show you theirs.
Class 2 has seats open. A $500 deposit holds your seat, and it is refundable in full if certification is not granted. No payment is collected on this site.
Apply for a SeatThe Founders Wall
The Academy was funded by the drivers and businesses who wanted this school to exist. Their names are on the Founders Wall.
SCHOOL IS FUNDED
Built founder by founder.
Thank you to the drivers and businesses who made it possible.
50 paid founders on the wall
Explore the Academy
Before you enroll
You don’t have to wait for day one to get ahead. The Knowledge Center is packed with plain-English guides on the CDL permit, the pre-trip inspection, DOT medical cards, and Hours of Service — all verified against the regs by a 17-year driver. Want the full head start — permit knowledge plus the money, family, and lifestyle prep? That’s CDL Pre-School.
A CDL-A driver-training school in Dalton, Georgia, founded by Shawn Gresham — a 17-year driver with zero violations who trains new drivers on real equipment. The mission is simple: drivers helping drivers.
The program follows the theory topics and behind-the-wheel instruction described in the FMCSA Entry-Level Driver Training standard — you can read it phase by phase on the Curriculum page. On status, two separate things: Georgia DDS school certification is in process. Until it is granted we do not describe the Academy as a licensed CDL school. Federal rules require entry-level driver training to be completed with a provider listed on the FMCSA Training Provider Registry, which is a different, federal registration. Ask us directly where both stand before you enrol.
No commercial experience is required. You do need to meet basic eligibility — age, a valid driver’s license, a DOT medical card, and a commercial learner’s permit (CLP). See the Requirements page for the full checklist.
Tuition is $3,795 for the in-person Class A program — the same for either format. A $500 deposit holds your seat, and it is refundable in full if certification is not granted. The Financing page explains the funding routes drivers can use: workforce grants, VA benefits, employer sponsorship, and community-funded seats.
Class 1 runs October 18, 2026 – December 6, 2026 (sold out); Class 2 runs December 13, 2026 – January 31, 2027 (seats open); Class 3 runs February 2027 (seats open). Classes meet Saturdays and Sundays for eight weekends. A $500 deposit holds your seat, and it is refundable in full if certification is not granted. Georgia DDS school certification is in process.
Students train in manual 10-speed trucks, giving them practical experience with equipment used throughout the trucking industry.
At least 21 for interstate driving, or 18 if you’ll drive intrastate within Georgia. Not sure which applies to you? Apply anyway and say so — we’ll walk you through it.
Yes — a DOT medical certificate is a federal requirement for a CDL. Not having one yet doesn’t block your application; the Knowledge Center explains the exam, and we’ll point you to the next step.
A ticket or an old mistake doesn’t automatically end the conversation. Eligibility depends on the specifics — tell us honestly in your application and we’ll talk it through straight. No judgment, no runaround.
The program’s whole job is to have you ready before test day — that’s what the phased training and free practice tests are for. Exact retest logistics will be published with the final enrollment details.
Job-placement assistance is available to graduates. We help students connect with trucking companies and employment opportunities, but employment is not guaranteed — and we won’t promise placement numbers we haven’t earned. You also get honest career preparation through the Knowledge Center’s career-path guides.
Trucking Life Academy is in 1821 Wendell Street, Dalton, GA 30721, right off the I-75 corridor — convenient to North Georgia and the Chattanooga, TN area.
More questions? Read the full Academy FAQ →
Drivers helping drivers — that’s the whole idea. Start your application, help fund a seat, or get your questions answered.
