Looking For Grants

Is there any kind of grants for getting my cdl. Or is my only optionis going through a company's school. I tryed to get into Michigan works but I make to much at my current job and my credit isn't high enough without a co signer and I don't have that option Thanks

Hi Timothy, Depending on your income level you may qualify for grants, loans or WIA (Workforce Investment Act) through the federal gov. To get most financial help from the federal gov you'd have to go to an accredited trucking school. The accredited schools tend to be longer than the non-accredited schools. By going to an accredted school, it will save you alot of out of pocket money. I'm originally from Bay City, Michigan but moved to Newark, Ohio nearly three years ago. I had a really poor credit history, no job or favorable credit to secure a loan, no money in the bank and a recent life altering back surgery and was still able to get into a quality school. If your willing to go to a 10 week course instead of the shorter 3 to 5 week courses, I may have a solution for you.

My wife's income was too high to qualify for WIA so I applied for FAFSA (Federal Student Aid) and got approved in less than 48 hours. The FAFSA money I recieved was from Subsidized and Un-Subsidized Loans at a little over 4% interest. What the FAFSA didn't cover, the school I'm attending offered to loan me the rest even with my poor credit and no job. I didn't ask them to because I didn't even know they loaned money to students. I was suprised when they offer to. I didn't get approved for grants because of my wifes income was too high.

I went to TDDS Technical School in Lake Milton, OH and I'm at the end of my training. It's a great school with very kowledgeable instructors. The road trucks aren't bad and will pass inspection, but the site trucks are beat to hell and back although they serve their purpose. Since I live 138 miles from the school I get to stay in the dorm. The dorm is definitly doable but it sure isn't 5 star accommodations. More like 3 stars if that.

FAFSA is real easy to apply for and it's free to do so. Don't go to one of the paid for FAFSA websites. You can do it yourself for free. Those paid sites are only gonna input the same information you are so why pay for it. Here's the link to the free FAFSA site:

https://fafsa.ed.gov/

This is the link for my school:

http://www.tdds.edu/

The staff there is great and easy to deal with and it only took a few days to get approved to go there. The Externship Program there is the one FAFSA covers. Many of the major carriers hire out of here because the school has a great reputation for putting out well trained drivers. TDDS Technical Institute is rated #1 in Ohio, #1 in the Mid-West and #2 in the country. That's comes from the folks that rate schools, not from marketing or advertizing from TDDS. It's worth a look into. Take care Timothy.

Another great option is company-sponsored training programs. They're basically truck driving schools that are owned and operated by the trucking companies themselves. They'll pay for your training up front. In exchange you'll agree to work for them for a certain amount of time, normally 8-12 months, and you may pay back some tuition out of your paycheck, depending on the company.

Check out our Truck Driver's Career Guide, specifically How To Choose A School.