Are there any Government grants for CDL truck driving school & Trucking School – Today we are going to discuss Government Grant for CDL Trucking School. A truck driving career is the right fit for hard-working and independent men and women who enjoy freedom and love open roads. If you’re paying the expenses out of your pocket then it may be expensive especially if you belong to the low-income category. Depending on your economic situation and the truck driving school you are preparing for you can qualify for federal and state-funded programs and even low-interest student loans.
Dislocated or unemployed workers can opt for a Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act grant. Even military service members can qualify for federal assistance programs to cover their education expenses. In case you fail to meet the eligibility criteria for the federal assistance program then you can apply to trucking companies that provide free CDL training. In the article we will also be talking about federal and state grants, scholarships, personal loans and company sponsored CDL training with pay
Highlights of this Post
What is a CDL Driving School?
A CDL driving school can offer a variety of benefits to its students. Some of these benefits include:
- Gain the experience and knowledge needed to get your driver’s license
- Get a job that offers you opportunities to drive in the future
- Save money on car rentals and other road costs
Where To Find Truck Driving School Grants?
The trucking industry is booming with each passing day and as a result, a lot of people are entering the trucking industry to grab high-paying jobs. This has resulted in more driver training and truck driving school grants in the United States of America. The cost of truck driving school is quite expensive and aspiring truck drivers belonging to the the low low-income category require financial assistance to complete the training program and become professional drivers.
Fortunately, the government as well as private industry programs are available to every aspiring trucker in different forms. You can check the federal Pell Grant, Workforce Investment Act, state truck driving school grants or financial aid programs, and employer-based truck driving school grants to avail assistance
What Are The Application Process And Documents Required For CDL Grants For Truck Driving School?
Individuals who think they can qualify for CDL grants for truck driving schools can apply for the program in person or online through the official website of the program and submit the application form. The application form comprises general questions related to their family size, computer skills, educational background, salary needs, and language-speaking abilities.
A few questions can be pertinent to their work history, criminal convictions, barriers to employment, and drug use. You have to give supportive documents to fulfill the eligibility criteria and submit relevant documents. These documents include official photo identification, Social Security card, passport ID, birth certificate, diplomas or transcripts, recent pay stubs, employment status, citizenship proof, and so on. Also learn how to Get a Tummy Tuck Paid for by Insurance.
Federal CDL Grants For Truck Driving School
There are a lot of Government Programs for Low-Income Families that will help you to cover the cost of their CDL training. Federal and state governments are two primary resources for locating CDL grants.
People who are looking for ways to fund their CDL training can apply for WIOA grants. WIOA stands for Workforce Innovation And Opportunity Act which funds adult education and training programs and even assists those who help people to get their driver’s license.
The grants offer a wide array of integrated services to companies, job seekers as well and local workforce development boards. All the services, government structures and programs are coordinated to provide seamless accessibility to good quality services for company owners and job seekers. You can contact your local workforce development office or the American Job centers to apply for WIOA grants. On getting approval for the grant you can find a suitable trucking school that participates in the program.
Following is the list of WIOA grants for CDL training which you can avail
WIOA Unemployment Grants are of two types: Dislocated Worker Program Grant and Disaster Relief And Emergency Relief Grant. Dislocated Worker Grants by WIOA aim to assist people who have been laid off from their jobs and help them return to work and overcome all the barriers to employment. Due to mass layoffs, job losses in the economic sector, and trade dynamics the program offers assistance to unemployed people. In case you have been laid off you can qualify for this grant to get your CDL training page. The grant will cover lodging and transportation costs required to travel distances to go to two truck driving schools.
The WIOA Disaster Relief And Emergency Relief Grant is for people who have lost their jobs due to the pandemic. The local workforce development office will co-enroll you in this grant including the dislocated worker grant to cover the cost of your CDL training tuition.
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WIOA’s Adult & Youth Program Grants
WIOA Adults belonging to the low-income category and willing to get trained as truck drivers can apply for a WIOA Adult Program grant. In a few cases, the local job center combines adult program grants with other grants to cover truck driving school tuition and other expenses such as accommodation and transportation costs of the adults.
The Youth Employment Program by WIOA is designed for those who are between 14 to 25 years old and facing obstacles to training, education and unemployment. Under this program, grants are paid for candidates’ CDL training. You need to be at least 18 years old within your state to drive a vehicle and 21 years old to drive across the state. A lot of trucking jobs require candidates to be a minimum of 21 years old.
Indian and Native American Grants by WIOA offer training and employment assistance to low-income and unemployed Native Americans, native Hawaiians, and Alaska natives. The grant offers financial assistance for particular training and skills like getting a commercial driver’s license and equipping individuals with the right skills to gain employment.
The program aims to assist seasonal and immigrant farm workers along with their dependents to gain the right skills to advance in the agriculture sector or get suitable job opportunities in evolving industries like trucking.
The Reentry Employment Opportunities program by WIOA offers employment and training services to eligible adults and youth who were formerly in prison. The grants and services under this program are implemented at the state and local levels to boost participation of formerly incarcerated individuals in the workforce.
The government-funded program known as Trade Adjustment Assistance Grants offers job assistance including serial training grants to individuals who are unemployed because of foreign trade activities, offshore outsourcing, or increased imports. On becoming eligible for these grants you can use the financial support to cover an entire or a part of your commercial driver’s license or CDL training. You can use TAA Career Planning to choose your training plan as per your interests, talents, and experience.
Eligibility Criteria For Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) Grants
To be eligible for CDL training through TAA grants you need to meet the following eligibility criteria
- Face difficulty in locating a job or employment
- Can start the training process right away
- Can fulfill the training approval deadline of 26 weeks or about six months from the later of your layoff date
- Enroll yourself in your training or get a waiver from the DEA career planner to waive your enrollment criteria.
How To Apply For Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) Grants?
You can receive TAA benefits by contacting your local jobcentre. To find out whether you’re eligible for this program or not you can contact the local truck driving school directly.
You can use the federally funded Pell Grants to cover your CDL training costs. To use Pell grants for CDL training you need to select a CDL training program that is not more than two weeks. A nine-week scheduled training school may not be eligible to receive the Pell Award; however, a 24-week school with a residency program may help you to qualify.
You can take credit courses in your Community College instead of opting for an official trucking school. Students belonging to low-income households receive their financial assistance under the Pell grant to make payment for their CDL training. The more the financial need the higher will be your chance to become eligible for the Pell Grant program.
Eligibility criteria of Pell Grants For Truck Driving School
To be eligible for Pell Grants for serial training you need to fulfill certain eligibility criteria such as the following:
- Be a citizen of the United States or an eligible immigrant
- Be enrolled in an accredited program in the USA
- Should meet the low-income category. The federal government will use your EFC expected family contribution to ascertain whether you’re eligible to receive assistance. The lower the EFC the higher will be the financial assistance.
- Should not be a defaulter on federal loans
- Should have a valid Social Security card
- Must complete filing FAFSA or Free Application For Federal Student Aid should have a high school diploma or an equivalent degree.
How To Apply For Pell Grants For Truck Driving School?
To learn What is Pell Grant, Eligibility and Application you first have to locate CDL schools that offer trucking training or education that are Pell eligible you can use your online search tool. There are a lot of trucking schools which accept Pell Grants. You need to offer various documents like pay stubs, bank statements, proof of income, proof of residency, proof of citizenship etc.
An education and training benefits program offers financial assistance grants as well as job placement to assist veterans including their spouses to take part in the growth of the economy. Truck driving is an essential occupation that helps to keep the country’s supply chain going and service members and veterans can be eligible for Veteran CDL grants to cover their training costs. Truck driving is a popular career option to transition for military drivers and vets. Most of them are allowed to skip tests that are necessary to get a commercial driver’s license.
Eligibility Criteria For Veterans CDL Grant
You can visit the Veterans Administration to get training, counseling, education, and financial assistance to find a job as a military member or veteran with a disability. To be eligible you need to show that you have served a minimum of 90 days of active duty after 10 September 2001. You have to showcase that you have been honorably retired from your service or veteran duty and have been discharged with a service-associated disability.
How To Apply For Veterans CDL Grant?
To apply for a Veteran CDL grant you can visit the Department Of Labour’s Employment And Training Administration Website or the Department of Veterans Affairs. You can also talk to the driving school’s tuition assistance office to avail further information on this program.
5 .SNAP Employment & Training Grant
The SNAP Employment And Training Grant is a popular employment and training program that is designed to assist eligible recipients of the SNAP program to boost their employability and become self-sufficient in life. The USDA offers grants of up to $300 million to the state government every year for running the SNAP Employment And Training Grant Program. To apply you can contact your neighboring workforce development office and check whether you can qualify to cover your truck driving tuition cost.
State Government Resources to cover your CDL training or tuition costs
Several grants are provided by the state government that you can use to cover your CDL training or tuition costs.
The Supporting and Advancing Nevada’s Discolated individuals grant provides full or partial tuition coverage for many in-demand occupations like CDL drivers. To qualify for the SANDI you need to belong to any one of these categories
- New job seeker
- Underemployed or unemployed
- Dislocated workers who have lost their employment because of downsizing lay-off termination.
- Individuals paying for childcare
- Individuals caring for a family member with a disability or an aging parent
- Individuals who have less financial resources or an economic crisis
To apply for the program you can contact your local Workforce Innovation Center. In addition, you can also contact your trucking school and learn better if this grant is available.
Eligible Nevadans can get partial or full tuition grants through Join Inc. The program covers those who belong to a low-income category and those who have been dislocated or lost their job as a result of layoffs, downsizing, or termination. If you are young and between 17 to 24 years old and have dropped out of school then you can apply for the program.
Individuals who are residing in Virginia can apply for the Fast Forward Grant Funding which was known as the Workforce Credentials Grant Program for Strategy, a state-funded program designed for individuals who wish to enroll in an in-demand program like truck driving. The program covers 2/3 of the tuition cost for eligible students on completion of the program. In case you fail to complete the program you need to pay the financial assistance received through the grant back to the state government.
Apart from the aforementioned resources, there are many other state-based truck driving school grants that vary depending on your state of residence. You need to contact the State Department of Education and inquire about the grants, scholarships, and sponsorship programs available in your state that will help you offset the cost of CDL training.
CDL Scholarships For CDL training
There are a lot of scholarships available online including CDL scholarships that assist eligible candidates to make a career in the field of trucking industry. If you have the necessary work and educational experience, financial need, and a desire to gain success in the industry then you can apply for the following scholarships.
Females who want to attend a training facility and advance their career in the trucking industry are eligible to apply for scholarships from the Women in Trucking Foundation. Applicants have to complete an application and write an essay about their career objectives and how undergoing the training will help them to their career goals.
A scholarship program from the Women in Trucking Foundation offers a one-time financial award of $1000 to eligible recipients. You need to showcase robust financial need and desire to advance in the trucking industry to qualify for assistance. Recipients have to provide their student ID card and contact their school’s financial aid office to qualify.
Tennessee residents who are members of the Tennessee Trucking Association and have enrolled in an approved college or university in the state can apply for this scholarship fund. A lot of factors will be taken into consideration before giving financial assistance like your academic credentials, extracurricular engagement, exam results, community participation, job experience, recommendations, financial need, and so on. The objective of this scholarship is to assist students who are pursuing a specific area of study and have robust financial need
TRALA Industry Scholarship awards assist TRALA member workers and their family members in acquiring training or education in the trucking transportation business. Staff members including family members who are enrolled in an accredited 2-year certificate degree or four-year university or college field of study related to the trucking and transportation sector are eligible to receive financial assistance under this program.
The objective of this scholarship program is to assist individuals who lack corporate financing to get a CTP certification degree. To be eligible you need to be a member of the National Private Truck Council and have a minimum of five years of experience in fleet management. Community participation, a couple of letters of reference from personal and professional activities, employment, and the uniqueness of your essay will be taken into consideration before giving you financial assistance.
The Minnesota Trucking Association provides scholarship opportunities to truck technician students and truck driving students. The association donates the pool of funds received through donors to eligible candidates.
Transient Workers Programs
There are many individuals who are looking to retrain their career, especially in agricultural states with a significant number of population and migrant workers. In Texas, you can find a program named as Migrant Education Training (MET) that is mainly available to:
- Those individuals who are working for a minimum of 3 months are a form of migrant job.
- Low income adults
- Met mainly focus on retraining areas that includes:
- Culinary Arts and Food Service
- Refrigeration and AC repair
- Obtaining commercial driver’s license (CDL)
Military Grants And Financial Assistance
A lot of trucking schools, companies, and financial organizations are providing assistance and grants to ex-servicemen and women. Navigating the application process for every military grant and financial assistance program is not easy however it will be a worthwhile consideration.
You can check out the job and training resources for veterans. Similarly, there is a federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration Military Skills Test Waiver Program that enables veterans and military members to obtain a CDL scholarship.The Military Skills Test Waiver Program also allows a few applicants to go through a number of requirements to obtain a CDL. If you want you can also get the application from here.
There are many financial institutions, schools and trucking companies that offer various types to grant to the women and ex-servicemen. You can simply check out Job and Training Resources for Veterans. .
Employer or Company-Sponsored Paid Training For Felons
One of the best alternatives to federally funded grants to cover truck driving school fees is going for employer or company-sponsored paid training. In mamz cases companies that hire unlicensed truck drivers in the United States help them cover the cost of CDL training and even pay them a salary during the training process.
In return, they have to agree to work for the training school at a specified amount for a particular period. The Swift Transportation website is one of the best companies that offers serial training for veterans. Swift Transportation offers truck driving jobs through the Military Apprenticeship Program.
Government CDL Grants for Felons
There are many government assistance programs available to felons who need them. You can find information on the various programs and how to apply online or by calling a telephone number. For example, the government may provide financial assistance in the form of loans or grants. Additionally, the government may offer other services, like job training or housing rehabilitation.
The process for getting government assistance for felons usually starts with an application and a waiting period. After that, you will need to show proof of being a criminal mastermind and meet certain requirements. These include being homeless, incarcerated, or have been threatened with incarceration. If all these conditions are met, then you may be able to receive government assistance through a program called “parole”.
To get parole, you must first serve a majority (but not all) of your sentence while living in confinement or away from your family member(s). Additionally, you must be employed and have a stable source of income.To learn more about this specific exception, please see “How Felons Get Government Assistance”.
California Grants for Truck Driving Schools
As you already know that the truck driving industry has been considered as an economically stable industry that mainly goes through an ideal growth both fiscally prosperous and fiscally turbid. One of the most important things that makes truck driving notable is that it is stable and offers competitive wages to the truck drivers. Most of the drivers get various benefits that include their vision, health and dental insurance plans. They also help in accessing money management packages like 401ks. There are also various avenues available that are planning to get involved in the industry with minimal cost or no cost that will be a trucker.
The applicants that are interested in pursuing truck driving school in California have access to financial aid and other incentive based options to fund their tuition that is associated with truck driving school. You can find student loans, scholarships and other government grants in California for trucking school. It is also vital to know about financial aid opportunities related to trucking school where you want to get admitted. There are also many financial circumstances that can play a vital role in getting financial aid opportunities.
Pell grants are also available to the truck driving students who have met the financial criteria. Another common grant in California is the Workforce Investment Act. WIA grants help in funding helps in covering the overall cost of trucking school education in California. The people who are recently laid off can get the WIA grant and start their career as a truck driver. There are also California state based grants that offset the cost of trucking school tuition. However, the California state based grants highly depend on some of the circumstances. Therefore you need to understand and fulfill the eligibility requirements to qualify for the grant. If you are a California trucker then you can simply try to contact any local trucking school in California.
Conclusion
One of the best ways to acquire a high-paying job is to earn a higher education and increase the skill sets. Truck driver training is an investment in your career and better future. Once you complete the truck driving training process you can enter the trucking or transportation industry. However, before that, you need to learn how to pay for the schooling and training process and get a commercial driver’s license. If you’re unable to pay for your CDL training then you can avail yourself of federal and state grants, scholarships,, and free company-sponsored CDL training. Like any other government program securing a grant or scholarship for a truck driving school will require in-depth research, paperwork, and time.
Frequently Asked Questions
We are going to answer some of the most frequently asked questions on Government Grant for CDL trucking school. Go through the questions and answers to gain some additional knowledge.
How to pay for CDL training?
There are many options like federal grants, state grants, company sponsored CDL training, personal loans and other scholarships to pay for your CDL training. However, you need to know about their eligibility requirements and then apply for it.
Can I pay for my truck driver training using Pell Grant?
Yes, you can use Pell Grants to pay for your CDL training. But in most of the cases it depends on the circumstances and where you are currently living. Pell grants also offer federally subsidized assistance to the students who do not have a bachelor degree and have limited financial resources. The student also has the plan to attend training in any of the participating institutions.
How to get financial assistance for truck driving school?
You can get financial assistance for truck driving school from federal and state government agencies. The federal government and state agencies run various programs that can provide you financial assistance to get admitted in a CDL school.
I am unemployed. Can I get any grants for CDL training?
There are many grants that are available for the individuals that are unemployed. Those grants are specially for those people who have lost their jobs recently.
Is it easy to get government grants for truck driving school?
Getting a government grant for truck driving school can be really complicated as it requires a lot of research and paperwork. But you can seek help from recruiters and staff for further help.
Can I get any loans for CDL training?
Yes, you can get loans for CDL training from government agencies and private lenders but remember to meet the eligibility requirement to qualify for the grant.
What do you mean by paid CDL training?
Paid CDL training or company sponsored CDL training are the same thing where the trucking company operates its own school and the students need to pay to receive training from them.
How much does a Class A CDL training cost?
A Class A CDL Training can cost you from $4,000 to $7,000.
Is truck driving school affordable?
No, truck driving school is not very affordable when you are paying out of your pocket. But if you can seek a few grants then it can be a bit affordable.
How worth is getting truck driver training?
Truck driver training is a great investment for your future but you should be keeping reasonable expectations regarding your salary, timing and working environment.
Are there many trucking jobs available?
There were a lot of trucking jobs during Covid-19 , but now it is quite less compared with the previous year.
What to do when you do not have money for trucking school?
If you do not have money you can try out state and federal grants, scholarships and other sponsored CDL training programs that can help you for trucking school.
Will I get paid to attend truck driver training?
Yes, you will be paid when you attend company sponsored training school when you are in the learning period.
What are some of the best Company Sponsored CDL schools?
There are some most reputed company sponsored schools like Roehl, Prime and Schneider.
How much does CDL trucking school last?
CDL training schools mainly last between 4 to 8 weeks that includes onsite classroom time and road training.
