Open Road CDL Training Academy

Words in [brackets] are blanks you fill in with your own details when you adopt this sample in Supreme Plan AI.

Executive Summary

Open Road CDL Training Academy is a commercial driver training school in Oklahoma. We prepare students to earn a Class A commercial driver's license (CDL) with classroom lessons, a practice yard and road training in school-owned trucks, and we offer refresher courses, endorsements and training contracts for trucking companies. Students leave ready to take the state skills test and start a career.

Why this fits. Trucking companies need trained drivers, and many adults want a job that does not require a four-year degree and pays a living wage. But a CDL is hard to get on your own: students need access to a truck, a safe place to practice and an instructor who knows the test and the federal training rules. A school that is honest about cost, tests and job realities, and that works with local carriers, gives students a clear path.

Here is what our numbers show. In Year 1 we plan about 80 Class A students, 60 refresher and endorsement students and 16 students through employer contracts. That brings in sales of $512,600, growing to $1,355,113 by Year 5. We expect a small profit of about $13,400 in Year 1 even though the trucks, the yard and the insurance are paid before the classes fill, then a profit of about $74,100 in Year 2, $87,600 in Year 3 and $268,500 by Year 5. Insurance, fuel and instructor pay are our biggest costs, and the plan counts all of them.

We need $280,000 in total. Of that, $183,000 is startup costs (two training tractors and two trailers, a driving simulator, classroom equipment, yard setup, the state school license and bond, the federal training provider registration, insurance and branding), and the rest is cash for the first months. I am putting in $90,000 of my own savings and asking for a $190,000 equipment loan.

I am Wade Hollis, the owner and school director, with eighteen years in trucking, including nine as a driver trainer and four as a safety manager. These numbers are estimates based on the assumptions listed at the end of this plan, not promises.

Company Description

Open Road CDL Training Academy is a small, independently owned commercial driver training school in Oklahoma, planned as a limited liability company (LLC). We serve adults who want to earn a CDL and carriers who need drivers, from a leased yard with a classroom and a practice area.

Our mission. To train safe, qualified commercial drivers and give students an honest path to a career.

What we believe. A truck is a heavy, dangerous machine, and safety comes first. We teach to the federal entry-level driver training standards and our state's rules, we are honest about the cost of the course and what students must still do to earn a license, and we never promise a job or a license. We keep student records accurate and tell students plainly when they are not yet ready for the test.

What we offer:
- Class A CDL training. A full course of classroom lessons, yard skills, road driving and test preparation.
- Refresher training and endorsements. Short courses for drivers who need to refresh skills or add endorsements, such as tankers or hazardous materials where allowed.
- Employer training contracts. Training for carriers that want to train their own new hires, with set schedules and prices.
- Student support. Help with permit study, medical exams, drug testing and introductions to carriers.

Who we serve. Adults changing careers, veterans, people returning to work, carriers and companies with fleets.

What we do not do. We do not promise a license or a job, hide fees, let a student drive a truck without an instructor, issue certificates to students who have not met the standards or take students into a class they cannot safely complete.

How we are run. I am the owner and school director. Two instructors work with me from Year 1 and the team grows to six. An admissions and student services coordinator helps students from the first call, a second joins in Year 3 and a safety and compliance manager joins in Year 3. An accountant keeps the books.

Where things stand today. We have quotes for two used tractors and trailers and a simulator, a yard lease offer, a draft enrollment agreement and refund policy reviewed by an attorney and letters of interest from three carriers. We are confirming the state school license and the federal training provider registration. (Replace this with where you really are.)

Problem & Opportunity

Many carriers are short of drivers, and many job seekers would like a stable career in trucking. But the gap between the two is hard to cross. A CDL requires passing written tests, a medical exam, a skills test and meeting federal training requirements. Students need a truck to practice on and an instructor, and trucks are expensive and risky to put in the hands of an untrained driver.

Some schools charge high fees, take on too many students for their trucks, give little practice time or promise jobs they cannot deliver. Students may take on debt and not finish. Others find that after the course they still do not feel ready for the road.

Carriers face their own problems. Training new drivers in-house is costly and takes trucks and trainers away from regular work.

For a new school, the hard parts are the cost of trucks and insurance, getting the state license and federal registration, keeping instructors and trucks busy, recruiting students and tracking each student's progress.

We want to be clear about what we know and do not know. Driver training is a real and regulated business, and demand for drivers can rise and fall with the economy. We do not know how fast students will enroll, so our plan assumes only a thin profit in Year 1 and cash to cover a slower start. We will use current local numbers on trucking jobs and competing schools in our final plan and will not overstate them.

Products & Services

Open Road CDL Training Academy will train safe, qualified drivers and give carriers a dependable source of new talent.

How it works, step by step:
1. Information session. Prospective students meet the admissions coordinator, learn the cost, the schedule and what is required, including medical and drug tests.
2. Enroll. The student signs an enrollment agreement with a clear price, a refund policy and a disclosure of what the school can and cannot promise.
3. Permit and classroom. The student studies for the permit and completes classroom lessons on rules, safety, logs and vehicle inspection.
4. Yard skills. In a closed practice area, students practice pre-trip inspection, backing, coupling and uncoupling with an instructor, in groups of four or fewer for each truck.
5. Road training. When ready, students drive on public roads with an instructor in the truck, building up hours.
6. Test preparation. We run practice tests and skills checks, and the student schedules the state skills test.
7. Career help. We introduce students to carriers, review job offers with them and explain how to avoid costly mistakes in a first job.
8. Follow-up. We check in after 30, 90 and 180 days, record results and ask carriers what they need.

Why this approach is strong. Small groups, an instructor in every truck and an honest enrollment agreement produce safer drivers and keep students and carriers coming back.

Market Analysis

Who we serve: adults who want a trucking career, carriers and fleets, in our region.

Our primary group is adults aged 21 to 55 who want a stable job and can pass a medical exam and drug test. Our secondary group is carriers that contract with the school to train new hires, and drivers who need refreshers or endorsements. We will use the most recent local numbers on trucking jobs, carriers and competing schools in our final plan.

How we sized our plan. We plan about 80 Class A students, 60 refresher and endorsement students and 16 employer-contract students in Year 1, growing to 170, 160 and 60 by Year 5. Our Year 1 prices are about $5,200 per Class A course, $650 per refresher or endorsement course and $3,600 per employer-contract student, rising about 3% a year.

Demand data. Letters of interest from three carriers and a workforce board contact, and inquiries from adults who asked about classes, cover part of the first months. We do not count on any one source. Enrollment is steady through the year with a rise in the spring.

We do not take every student. We decline students who cannot pass the medical exam or drug test, and we refer students who need more time to a different start date.

Competitive Landscape

Other choices for students, and what makes us different.

- Large truck driving schools and carrier-run schools. They have many trucks and can offer pay-while-you-train. We offer smaller groups, more time in the truck and no obligation to work for one carrier.
- Community college CDL programs. They are affordable but have waiting lists. We offer faster start dates.
- Other independent schools. Some are very good. We compete on honesty, small groups and quality of instruction.
- Learning from a friend or relative. It may not meet federal training rules. We offer a registered, compliant course.
- Online-only courses. They cover theory but not the truck. We provide the truck and the instructor.

What makes us different.
- No more than four students for each truck.
- A written enrollment agreement with a clear refund policy.
- Practice tests and honest feedback before the state test.
- Relationships with local carriers who want our graduates.

What we do not claim. We are new. Larger schools have more trucks and a longer record. We plan to earn our reputation one graduate at a time.

Marketing & Sales Strategy

How we will reach customers.

Workforce boards and veterans' programs. We will meet workforce boards, veterans' services offices and career centers, explain our course and ask to be listed as a training provider where funding is available. We will not promise that any student will receive funding.

Carriers. We will visit local carriers, explain how contract training works and offer a pilot class for their new hires.

Online. A website with clear prices, a course outline, online information sessions, a Google business listing and reviews from graduates.

Community. We will hold open houses at the yard, post flyers at career centers and community colleges and offer a short talk on what a trucking career is really like, including long hours and time away from home.

Referrals. Every graduate is asked to refer a friend, with a small thank-you gift.

Pricing. About $5,200 per Class A course, $650 per refresher or endorsement course and $3,600 per employer-contract student in Year 1, with the full cost shown before enrollment.

Operations Plan

How the business will run.

Setup (the 5 to 6 months before the first class). We will form the LLC, get an EIN and open a business bank account, confirm and obtain the state school license and bond, complete the federal training provider registration, lease the yard and classroom, buy and inspect the trucks, buy insurance, install the simulator, hire and train instructors and write the enrollment agreement and refund policy. We will not enroll students until the required approvals are in place.

The yard. A leased yard of about two acres with a practice area, a small classroom building and parking. Rent is $24,000 a year in Year 1.

Staffing. In Year 1: I serve as owner and school director. Two instructors, paid $52,000 a year each, and an admissions and student services coordinator, paid $38,000 a year, work with me. The instructors grow to six by Year 5. A safety and compliance manager, paid $52,000 a year, joins in Year 3, and a second admissions coordinator joins in Year 3.

Costs. Direct costs for fuel for practice, supplies, testing fees and materials are about $950 per Class A course, $95 per refresher course and $720 per employer-contract student in Year 1. Truck fuel, maintenance and repairs are about $36,000 a year, insurance about $38,000, marketing and student recruiting about $24,000 and licensing, testing and compliance about $9,000.

Safety and compliance. We follow the federal entry-level driver training standards, keep student training records, inspect every truck before use, keep an instructor in the truck during road training and a written plan for accidents. We confirm current state and federal requirements before every term.

Payments. Students pay a deposit and the balance before or during the course, and some pay through workforce funds or an employer. Our plan holds about $35,882 in unpaid tuition at the end of Year 1.

Insurance. We carry commercial auto coverage for student driving, general liability, workers' compensation and coverage for the trucks.

Management & Organization

The people who will run Open Road CDL Training Academy.

Wade Hollis, owner and school director. Eighteen years in trucking, including nine years as a driver trainer and four as a safety manager, where he trained new drivers and handled federal compliance. He leads training, compliance, admissions and finance. (Replace this paragraph with your own background and licenses.)

Instructors (from Year 1). Experienced CDL holders who meet the federal and state requirements for training. More join as we grow.

Admissions and student services (from Year 1). Guides students from the first call through graduation. A second joins in Year 3.

Safety and compliance manager (from Year 3). Manages records, inspections and regulatory filings.

Outside advisors. A carrier safety director, an attorney, an accountant, an insurance broker and a free mentor from SCORE or the Small Business Development Center.

Staff pay in this plan is a full year per person: owner and school director $56,000, instructor $52,000, admissions and student services $38,000 and safety and compliance manager $52,000. Replace them with the pay you can offer where you live.

Milestones Narrative

Our goals and when we plan to reach them.
- Before the first class (5 to 6 months ahead): confirm the state school license and bond, complete the federal training provider registration, lease the yard, buy and inspect the trucks, buy insurance, hire instructors and sign at least three carriers or workforce partners.
- Year 1: two instructors, two trucks and about 80 Class A students; $512,600 in sales and a profit of about $13,400.
- Year 2: three instructors and about 100 Class A students, plus refresher classes; $684,847 in sales and a profit of about $74,100.
- Year 3: four instructors, a safety and compliance manager and about 125 Class A students; $909,827 in sales and a profit of about $87,600.
- Year 4: five instructors and about 150 Class A students; $1,152,007 in sales and a profit of about $190,800.
- Year 5: six instructors and about 170 Class A students and 60 employer-contract students; $1,355,113 in sales and a profit of about $268,500.
Growth depends on winning and keeping customers, so treat the later years as goals, not promises.

What we check every week: students enrolled, hours in the truck for each student, pass rates, accidents or incidents, truck downtime, tuition owed and cash in the bank.

Funding Request

How much we need and how we will use it. Total we are raising: $280,000.

How we got that number. The Funding Need Calculator in this plan adds up three things:
- Startup costs of $183,000, listed item by item in the Startup Costs section: $78,000 for two used tractors for training, inspected and serviced; $24,000 for two used trailers; $18,000 for basic driving simulator and training aids; $9,000 for classroom furniture, projector and computers; $6,000 for practice yard striping, cones and safety equipment; $9,000 for yard lease deposit and first month; $6,500 for state school license, bond and federal training provider registration; $5,500 for attorney: enrollment agreement, refund policy and LLC; $6,500 for truck lettering, branding and a website; $4,500 for curriculum, textbooks and first student kits; $16,000 for insurance down payment.
- The cash the business uses before it breaks even, about $0. Trucks, insurance and the yard are paid before students enroll, and many students pay in installments or through funding that arrives later, so cash is needed in the early months.
- A cash cushion of about $88,800: three months of Year 1 operating costs.
- Together, the cash used before break even and the cushion come to about $88,800, and the three pieces add up to about $271,750, rounded up to the nearest $500: $272,000.
We are raising $8,000 more than that, $280,000 in all, to cover a slower first term than planned and the cost of adding instructors in Year 2. With this funding, the lowest year-end cash balance is about $136,500, at the end of Year 1.

Where the money comes from:
- My own money: $90,000.
- Equipment loan: $190,000.

Kind of funding we are looking for. An equipment loan from a lender that finances commercial trucks, with the trucks as collateral, backed by my own savings.

How we will pay it back. We expect a profit of about $13,400 in Year 1, a profit of about $74,100 in Year 2, a profit of about $87,600 in Year 3, a profit of about $190,800 in Year 4 and a profit of about $268,500 in Year 5. With this funding, the business has money in the bank at the end of every year of the plan. Our loan is the equipment loan at 10.75% over 7 years, about $3,228 a month. That payment is already included in our cash flow. We chose these as cautious planning rates; ask the lender for the real rates, which may be lower or higher.

What we are offering the lender: the trucks and trailers as collateral and my personal guarantee.

A smaller first step, if needed. If we cannot raise the full amount right away, we can start smaller and grow into this plan:
- Phase 1: start with one training tractor and trailer, one instructor and smaller classes, with the owner teaching, which lowers startup costs and insurance.
- Phase 2: once classes fill, add the second truck, more instructors and the simulator and follow this plan.
To plan the smaller start, make a copy of this plan (use Duplicate) and lower the numbers to match.

All numbers in this plan are estimates. We will update them as real results come in.

Appendix Notes

Documents to attach before you send this plan:

- Your resume, commercial driver's license and driving record.
- A personal financial statement (a list of what you own and what you owe; lenders usually provide a form).
- Business registration papers and your EIN (your business tax number from the IRS, free at irs.gov).
- Your state school license, bond and federal training provider registration.
- Quotes for the trucks, trailers and simulator.
- Your enrollment agreement, refund policy and course outline.
- Letters of interest from carriers and workforce partners.
If you don't have any of this yet, no worries - let's continue.

The assumptions behind our numbers (change them in the Financials section to match your own):
- Class A CDL Training Course (per student): about $5,200 in Year 1, rising to $5,853; about $950 in direct costs, rising to $1,090; about 80 in Year 1, growing to 170.
- Refresher Training and Endorsements (per student): about $650 in Year 1, rising to $732; about $95 in direct costs, rising to $109; about 60 in Year 1, growing to 160.
- Employer Training Contracts (per student): about $3,600 in Year 1, rising to $4,052; about $720 in direct costs, rising to $826; about 16 in Year 1, growing to 60.
- Class A students are about 80 in Year 1, growing to about 170 by Year 5, at about four students for each truck on the range. Prices rise about 3% a year.
- We add a second pair of trucks in Year 3 ($70,000) and replace equipment in later years.
- Pay (a full year, per person): owner and school director $56,000; instructors $52,000; admissions and student services $38,000; safety and compliance manager $52,000.
- Other yearly costs in Year 1: truck fuel, maintenance and repairs $36,000, insurance (student driving, liability, workers compensation) $38,000, yard and classroom rent $24,000, marketing and student recruiting $24,000, licensing, testing and compliance $9,000, accounting and legal $6,000, payroll taxes $20,000. These grow between 4% and 12% a year.
- Startup equipment and later purchases ($135,000 in Year 1, then $12,000, $70,000, $15,000 and $12,000) are spread evenly over five years in the plan's books.
- Customers and payers pay about 26 days after service, so at the end of Year 1 about $35,882 is still owed to us. Income tax at 21%.
- Every dollar amount is an estimate. Replace them with your own quotes and research.

Startup Costs