A trucking school in Modesto has come under fire after suddenly shutting its doors last week, leaving students who paid thousands for lessons without answers.

Truck Nation School abruptly closed, and now former students like Bayward Boykins say they're left in limbo.

Boykins told CBS News Sacramento he quit his full-time job last month to pursue a career in truck driving. He paid over $2,000 upfront in cash and signed a contract with the school. Almost a month into his training, he showed up for class — only to find the gates locked.

"Go show up Wednesday morning, gate with the paperwork, they're closed," Boykins said.

There was no prior warning. Students were met with a sign announcing the closure.

"For them to know the doors are closing on Monday. They didn't notify us, they didn't offer us a refund... It's a little strange to me," Boykins added.

Boykins said attempts to contact the company have gone nowhere. He was given an invalid email address and said he hasn't been able to reach anyone for information about getting his money back.

"I don't know what to do," he said. "The only steps I got is to contact you guys, or I'm going to the courthouse on Monday."

CBS Sacramento called multiple numbers associated with Truck Nation School in both Modesto and Fresno, but hasn't received any responses.

A sign posted at the Modesto location blames the closure on the economy and recent changes affecting commercial drivers.

"Despite our best efforts to keep operations running, the current economic challenges our country has been facing, including inflation and recently issued executive orders for commercial drivers specifically, have unfortunately led to a significant decline in business that we could not overcome," the sign said. 

Boykins said he's not the only student affected and hopes to either get his money back or find another way to complete his truck driving training.

"They shut the doors on us. What am I supposed to do now?" he said.

The closure notice instructs students to contact the Fresno location.

In the meantime, Boykins is exploring other options to get back on track with his trucking career.