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Topic 12250 | Page 1
Company sponsored training programs will be your best bet. There's a great list of companies on here and several threads dedicated to the different companies that offer it and perks for each program.
Company Sponsored Training:
A Company-Sponsored Training Program is a school that is owned and operated by a trucking company.
The schooling often requires little or no money up front. Instead of paying up-front tuition you will sign an agreement to work for the company for a specified amount of time after graduation, usually around a year, at a slightly lower rate of pay in order to pay for the training.
If you choose to quit working for the company before your year is up, they will normally require you to pay back a prorated amount of money for the schooling. The amount you pay back will be comparable to what you would have paid if you went to an independently owned school.
Company-sponsored training can be an excellent way to get your career underway if you can't afford the tuition up front for private schooling.
Check these links out, Cavorky:
This is required reading for anyone thinking about taking the CDL permit test:
High Road Training Program
There's more, much more!
CDL:
Commercial Driver's License (CDL)
A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles:
- Any combination of vehicles with a gross combined weight rating (GCWR) of 26,001 or more pounds, providing the gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of the vehicle being towed is in excess of 10,000 pounds.
- Any single vehicle with a GVWR of 26,001 or more pounds, or any such vehicle towing another not in excess of 10,000 pounds.
- Any vehicle, regardless of size, designed to transport 16 or more persons, including the driver.
- Any vehicle required by federal regulations to be placarded while transporting hazardous materials.
Company-sponsored Training:
A Company-Sponsored Training Program is a school that is owned and operated by a trucking company.
The schooling often requires little or no money up front. Instead of paying up-front tuition you will sign an agreement to work for the company for a specified amount of time after graduation, usually around a year, at a slightly lower rate of pay in order to pay for the training.
If you choose to quit working for the company before your year is up, they will normally require you to pay back a prorated amount of money for the schooling. The amount you pay back will be comparable to what you would have paid if you went to an independently owned school.
Company-sponsored training can be an excellent way to get your career underway if you can't afford the tuition up front for private schooling.
OOS:
When a violation by either a driver or company is confirmed, an out-of-service order removes either the driver or the vehicle from the roadway until the violation is corrected.
See if your local or a nearby community college has any truck driver training programs. If they do you can apply to and see if they have any grants that can help. I know you said grants are not an option but this may not be the case in terms of college. My trucking school (Sage Truck Driving School, in san antonio, tx) goes through my local community college which enabled me to get a TPEG grant (it's the only kind of continuing education... at least in Texas) and that paid more than half of my tuition. Tuition was like $4400, plus a few other fees (drug screen, dot physical, permit plus cdl license fees which cover the other 3 tests I had to take too). The tpeg grant paid like $2800 or so of the tuition. The rest I could have paid for out of pocket in full or setup a payment plan through my college or tried to get a loan. payment plan I think is like 50% first payment, then 25% 1/4 or 1/2 through semester then final 25% at 3/4 or something like that. I didn't have to worry because I have a trust fund paying my college tuition (to a limit per semester) so I just used it to pay my balance, but that's neither here nor there :)
So see if you have any local colleges that offer a truck driving program.
If not then you next best bet is going to be looking into company sponsored training , which Errol has already linked you too.
Also just because it's a college course, doesn't mean it will take longer. Mine was 2 weeks class room training, mon - fri 7am - 3pm (originally scheduled for 8-5 with a 1 hour lunch but as a class decided on the 7-3 opt no lunch so the large amount of us still needing to do written tests could get to dps in time to do so). Once classroom training is done we have 10 drives to do (well we are given 11 but they hold 1 back in case you fail driving exam and need a little more practice on something specific, or if you want to come back at a later time to practice more, such as if you drive an auto for a year or two then forget how to drive manual... come back for that 11th drive session and re learn it real quick... 4 hour crash course style!). Those drives are scheduled over time, they try to get em done within a week but not always possible. I had 2 one after another in one day and another 2 days later in my first week after classroom stuff, Now I have drive 4 scheduled for this wed evening. Thur - sun scheduled not made yet but will probably get a few more. My expected grad date is Jan 14th... that's about a month total time. Considering we had 2 holidays it's not bad.
CDL:
Commercial Driver's License (CDL)
A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles:
- Any combination of vehicles with a gross combined weight rating (GCWR) of 26,001 or more pounds, providing the gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of the vehicle being towed is in excess of 10,000 pounds.
- Any single vehicle with a GVWR of 26,001 or more pounds, or any such vehicle towing another not in excess of 10,000 pounds.
- Any vehicle, regardless of size, designed to transport 16 or more persons, including the driver.
- Any vehicle required by federal regulations to be placarded while transporting hazardous materials.
DOT:
Department Of Transportation
A department of the federal executive branch responsible for the national highways and for railroad and airline safety. It also manages Amtrak, the national railroad system, and the Coast Guard.
State and Federal DOT Officers are responsible for commercial vehicle enforcement. "The truck police" you could call them.
Company Sponsored Training:
A Company-Sponsored Training Program is a school that is owned and operated by a trucking company.
The schooling often requires little or no money up front. Instead of paying up-front tuition you will sign an agreement to work for the company for a specified amount of time after graduation, usually around a year, at a slightly lower rate of pay in order to pay for the training.
If you choose to quit working for the company before your year is up, they will normally require you to pay back a prorated amount of money for the schooling. The amount you pay back will be comparable to what you would have paid if you went to an independently owned school.
Company-sponsored training can be an excellent way to get your career underway if you can't afford the tuition up front for private schooling.
HOS:
Hours Of Service
HOS refers to the logbook hours of service regulations.
This is not true. I currently work and was given the WIA grant for my schooling. All I did was fill out my fafsa and it was slapped on my account along with the Pell grant. Maybe its income based? I made 30k last year.
Sorry need to rant and rave. I have been trying to figure out a way to fund schooling. Grants are not an option because im currently employed. They will give all the welfare recipents help, but if your currently contributing to society theres no help for you. Someone here has to have better info on this and what options a father of three and husband has at his exposure.
I never recommend borrowing if it can be avoided. However, in addition to company sponsored, consider that most companies will do tuition reimbursement.
Here's what I did; school offered $1,000 discount for cash payment. So I got a signature loan from credit union ('cause they offer low interest rates), paid the school and I'm using tuition reimbursement to pay back the loan.
Some may say; yeah, but the reimbursement only covers the tuition payment, not the interest. Well, the interest won't add up to the $1,000 saved and I picked THE company I wanted and am very satisfied and earning more than I planned.
I hope this helps.
OWI:
Operating While Intoxicated
I never recommend borrowing if it can be avoided.
People worry about this too much. There's nothing in the world wrong with borrowing money under the right circumstances. Going to truck driving school is a perfectly good reason to borrow money. I mean, say you borrow $6,000 for school. The schooling will be over in a few weeks and you'll be on the road starting at $35,000+ your first year. That's a very wise investment in your future. It's a small debt that affords you a new career and it's one that you can begin repaying quickly.
If you're tight on cash it's not a bad idea to borrow money for tuition and save the cash for personal expenses during the schooling and early on in your career.
OWI:
Operating While Intoxicated
Thanks Everyone. I appreciate all the advice. Only a handful of the company sponsored training hires out of Washington. Also have a bit of a past so that also eliminated a few. My local employment office, (workforce) first question they asked was if I was employed. Then said that the program was for unemployed. I'm sure each state is different with grants. Working on finding credit unions that will give a loan with little credit history. My father might have education benefits through the V.A but not entirely sure.
Company Sponsored Training:
A Company-Sponsored Training Program is a school that is owned and operated by a trucking company.
The schooling often requires little or no money up front. Instead of paying up-front tuition you will sign an agreement to work for the company for a specified amount of time after graduation, usually around a year, at a slightly lower rate of pay in order to pay for the training.
If you choose to quit working for the company before your year is up, they will normally require you to pay back a prorated amount of money for the schooling. The amount you pay back will be comparable to what you would have paid if you went to an independently owned school.
Company-sponsored training can be an excellent way to get your career underway if you can't afford the tuition up front for private schooling.
Thanks Everyone. I appreciate all the advice. Only a handful of the company sponsored training hires out of Washington. Also have a bit of a past so that also eliminated a few. My local employment office, (workforce) first question they asked was if I was employed. Then said that the program was for unemployed. I'm sure each state is different with grants. Working on finding credit unions that will give a loan with little credit history. My father might have education benefits through the V.A but not entirely sure.
If your father still has education eligibility, you qualify to use them and they can be used for cdl school. Even if it doesn't cover all of it, since you'll be paying a portion, a bank will be more willing to fund the rest.
CDL:
Commercial Driver's License (CDL)
A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles:
- Any combination of vehicles with a gross combined weight rating (GCWR) of 26,001 or more pounds, providing the gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of the vehicle being towed is in excess of 10,000 pounds.
- Any single vehicle with a GVWR of 26,001 or more pounds, or any such vehicle towing another not in excess of 10,000 pounds.
- Any vehicle, regardless of size, designed to transport 16 or more persons, including the driver.
- Any vehicle required by federal regulations to be placarded while transporting hazardous materials.
Company Sponsored Training:
A Company-Sponsored Training Program is a school that is owned and operated by a trucking company.
The schooling often requires little or no money up front. Instead of paying up-front tuition you will sign an agreement to work for the company for a specified amount of time after graduation, usually around a year, at a slightly lower rate of pay in order to pay for the training.
If you choose to quit working for the company before your year is up, they will normally require you to pay back a prorated amount of money for the schooling. The amount you pay back will be comparable to what you would have paid if you went to an independently owned school.
Company-sponsored training can be an excellent way to get your career underway if you can't afford the tuition up front for private schooling.
Nice thing about getting loans... they help build your credit as long as you pay them when they are due on the required payment plan.
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Sorry need to rant and rave. I have been trying to figure out a way to fund schooling. Grants are not an option because im currently employed. They will give all the welfare recipents help, but if your currently contributing to society theres no help for you. Someone here has to have better info on this and what options a father of three and husband has at his exposure.