Before jumping into the next chapter, I wanted to put all of this together in one place.
Because becoming a truck driver did not cost me a little. It took money, time, effort, patience, and a lot of commitment. And maybe that is exactly why it felt so natural to keep looking when my first company did not feel right. If you invest this much into changing your life, you do not want to stay somewhere that makes no sense to you. You want to find the version of the job that fits you better.
For me, that meant aiming for — one load, one unload, less chaos. And honestly, Spain had its pull too. I love sun and warmth, and with autumn and winter slowly arriving, that direction felt even more tempting.
So before continuing with the next chapter of my story, I thought it would be useful to show what this whole journey had actually cost me.
Basic Papers Before Driving School
Before I could even start driving school, I had to sort out a few basic requirements first. None of them were massively expensive on their own, but together they were already part of the total investment. This was the first money I had to put on the table before the real journey even began.
- Psychological test: €65
- Medical examination: €20
- First aid course: €20
Section total: €105
Category C Driving School Costs
This was the first real step toward becoming a truck driver. In Slovakia, Category C is what allowed me to drive a rigid truck, and without it, nothing else could move forward. It was one of the biggest chunks of the whole process, both financially and mentally.
- Driving school fee: €1,650
- Exam fee: €100
- Driving licence card issuance: €40
Section total: €1,790
Category CE Driving School Costs
Category CE was the next step, and this is what opened the door to driving a semi-trailer combination. By this point, I was already deep into the process, so the costs were adding up quickly. It was another necessary step, and another reminder that this career change was very real.
- Driving school fee: €700
- Exam fee: €100
- Driving licence card issuance: €40
Section total: €840
Driver CPC (Code 95) Training and Qualification Card Costs
Getting the driving licence was still not the end of the process. To work legally as a professional truck driver, I also had to complete Driver CPC training, often referred to as Code 95, and get the qualification card. I wrote more about that part separately in my article about Driver CPC training, but financially, this was another major piece of the whole puzzle.
- Driver CPC training course: €1,000
- Exam fee: €70
- Qualification card: €70
- Administrative fee: €7
Section total: €1,147
Tachograph Driver Card Costs
The tachograph driver card was the final piece I needed before I could legally start working. Compared to the other steps, this was one of the smaller expenses, but it still had to be included in the full picture. Without it, the whole process would still not have been complete.
- Tachograph driver card: €54
- Administrative fee: €8
Section total: €62
Total Cost
When I put everything together in one place, the final number came to €3,944.
That is what it cost me in 2025 to get all the paperwork, licences, training, and cards needed to legally start working as a truck driver in Slovakia and across the EU.