How to Pay for Truck Driving School

Truck driving school is the very first step in your trucking career. There you will gain important skills and experience for successful work. But attending it can be incredibly expensive. According to AllTrucking.com, the costs of trucking schools typically range from $ 3,000 to $ 7,000. Therefore, before deciding how to pay for CDL tuition, you should check all the possibilities.

Is there no cost CDL training?

Sure! There are a lot of opportunities to get your class A CDL for free. So please do not pay for your training via credit card or mortgage. This decision can place you in a terrible financial situation. Here are some more affordable ways to get through truck driving school.

Paid CDL Training

It is also called company-sponsored CDL training. How does it work? You choose a trucking company that has such a free CDL training program. They pay for your tuition in exchange for an employment contract. An added benefit is that you are guaranteed to get the job after obtaining a license. Usually. you will have to work for this company from 6 to 15 months, or even longer. 

But please make sure you read the contract carefully! Especially this fine print. First of all, the company can decide that they no longer want or need to hire you. So you will have to pay for your training. Also, you should be ready for very low mileage rates during your contract. Therefore, it is worth doing a little research before choosing a CDL school. For example, read the information on the truckers’ forums. You should try to find a reliable company with good reviews that has experience in training successful drivers.

Grants and scholarships 

There are a lot of opportunities for financial support for future truck drivers. For example, Pell Grants, grants and assistance for veterans, the Women in Trucking Foundation scholarship, etc. Some of them will be able to fully cover your training costs, others only partially. Of course, you will need to meet certain requirements and fill out the application. By the way, some private CDL training schools can help you to go through the process. 

CDL training in North Carolina

Do you want to be a “free agent” and choose a logistic company to work for after receiving the CDL? Then a private truck driving school is your go-to facility. Our partner Carolina CDL Training Center has a company-based trucking school with professional instructors. More information here.

Author Mike Skliar

As the truck driver recruiting agency's CEO, I deeply understand the unique challenges and demands truck drivers face.

Drawing from my extensive work experience, I bring knowledge in truck driver recruitment, logistics, and transportation management. I possess a comprehensive understanding of industry regulations, safety standards, and best practices, ensuring that the agency adheres to the highest standards of professionalism and compliance.

Now, looking back and remembering my path from the very beginning, it seems to me that this story is a lifetime. During all these years of development and growth of our agency, I took part in no less interesting projects in which my experience, knowledge and vision were needed. And I was also able to gain new skills, contacts and experience by participating in the development of these projects from various fields, such as cargo transportation, trucking companies, e-commerce, parcel delivery and much more! But the best is yet to come!

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