Columbia County

Nearest training open to the public

Walla Walla Community College in Walla Walla, Walla Walla County — about 21 miles, straight line.

Registered in Columbia

No publicly-registered training location at all.

A further 3 registered training locations are marked private — an employer training its own staff. Not open to you, but evidence that commercial driving is being taught here for somebody.

Nearest employers that train you themselves

• Valley Transit

  Walla Walla · about 25 mi · Non-exempt hourly employee Hiring Range: $25.69 - $33.25 per hour -

  Paid while training: not stated on their page — ask

  “starting_wage: "Non-exempt hourly employee Hiring Range: $25.69 - $33.25 per hour -" || trains_own_drivers: "All persons selected for this position must successfully complete or have completed a new operator training program"”

  Their own careers page →

• Washington Construction Teamsters Apprenticeship Committee

  Pasco · about 53 mi · Step 1 $28.27/hr (70% of journey); journey $40.38/hr

  Paid while training: NO for the 240-hour pre-CDL course; YES once dispatched to an employer

  “You are not paid for the six weeks of initial training.”

  Their own careers page →

• Ben Franklin Transit

  Richland · about 61 mi · Step 1 $29.23/hr to Step 6 $36.80/hr (eff. 2026-06-01)

  Paid while training: yes (Training Wage $25.10/hr eff. 2026-06-01)

  “BFT will pay the full cost of the CDL required for the position of Coach Operator once per contract. This is payable upon receipt.”

  Their own careers page →

Every one of these is a relocation or a long commute — we hold no employer with a verified training path inside any of the 17 counties. The quote is the employer's own wording, retrieved from their own page; where they do not say whether training is paid, we say so rather than assume. The distance runs from the middle of your county to the middle of their city, so it is indicative rather than a route.