How Much Does Truck Driving School Cost?

The average truck driving school may cost up to $8,000, but at Truck Driver Institute, you can get started with as little as $225 out of pocket. 

If you’re considering going to truck driving school, you may wonder, “How much does truck driving school cost?” We’re here to help break down tuition costs and get you started in your new career. Although it’s not uncommon for many truck driving schools to charge quite a bit, Truck Driver Institute is proud to offer a variety of resources for financial aid in addition to our low tuition costs. Learn more about our costs, tuition reimbursement, grants, scholarships, GI Bill ® programs, and more below.

Get started with as little as $225 out of pocket!

How Much Is Truck Driving School at TDI?

While other truck driving schools charge up to $8000 for tuition, TDI is committed to making trucking affordable and accessible.

Your upfront out-of-pocket cost will be approximately $200–$300, depending on whether or not you require lodging.

Even with the low cost of tuition at Truck Driver Institute, there are still several options available for covering your truck driving school cost. Two of the most popular options are:

Career Education Funding

There are several financial assistance options available to help with the cost of Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) training with very little upfront out-of-pocket expenses. Funding options including grants and scholarships are available to all students, and TDI’s admissions office is dedicated to helping you find the right funding. Contact our Student Services Department is available to coordinate with you to find and implement the best funding option for your specific needs.

Employer Tuition Assistance

Like nurses, truck drivers are in great demand—and many employers are willing to do what it takes to attract qualified candidates. Along with a competitive salary and an incredible benefits plan, many trucking companies are even willing to invest in your education through tuition assistance programs once hired. New truckers who recently received their CDL can expect a full or partial tuition reimbursement from your employer. Ranging from partial to full repayment, these reimbursements are often made monthly in order to help you pay back loans.

While some companies will only reimburse CDL tuition from a select few driving schools, TDI has secured a top spot on Dot’s list, making a TDI CDL the best deal around. All of this is over and above a very attractive pay package and with no employment contracts required.

How much does truck driving school cost?

Give us a call now at 800-848-7364 or contact us online to learn more.

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3-WEEK TRAINING.

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Truck Driving School Cost with Grants and Scholarships.

One way to lower your truck driving school cost is through grants or scholarships. Grants and scholarships may be available in some cases to help pay for the cost of CDL training to students who meet specific requirements.

Funding options include grants and scholarships like the government-funded Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) and Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA), helping you cut down on tuition costs. However, many more scholarships are available at the citywide and state level, and starting small is often the best way to get funding. With less competition and a local-first mindset, you have a better chance of winning small scholarships.

Additionally, minority groups may qualify for scholarships targeted toward a special demographic. Awards like the Women in Trucking Foundation Scholarship are geared towards inclusion, helping you to enter the workforce with ease. To see if you qualify for any of these scholarships (and more), check with the TDI admissions office when you apply. Our team will help you find scholarships that work for you and help with the application process.

Meet with the recruiters in our Admissions Office to get started. We will give you the details about available grants and scholarships. If you qualify, we’ll gladly help you apply. If you are approved, a grant or scholarship could reduce how much truck driving school will cost you.

Call us at 800-848-7364 or contact us online to get in touch with our recruiters.

Military Veterans Can Use Benefits from the GI Bill ® and Other Veteran Programs to Lower the Cost of Truck Driving School.

Military veterans, did you know you can use your GI Bill® benefits for truck driving school, for example your Post 9/11 benefits?

Truck Driver Institute values and honors our nation’s veterans and we know that our veterans are often the best truck driving candidates. To provide soldiers with post-return employment opportunities, we participate in many of the GI Bill ® programs.

The GI Bill ® could cover the cost of your Class A CDL tuition for truck driving school.  By paying for tuition and associated stipends, GI benefits help veterans enter the workforce with ease. Additionally, some veterans receive a Monthly Housing Allowance on behalf of the government, covering not only living expenses like rent but also books and other study materials.

To access your benefits and apply them to schools like TDI, all you have to do is fill out a few forms. And with the help of TDI’s admissions office, paperwork is a breeze!

Let us work with you to establish and use those hard-earned benefits. Your benefits could go toward your new career as a professional truck driver. Be sure to ask our VA Certifying Official for details on our veteran-specific programs.

GI BILL® WEB SITE: EDUCATIONAL BENEFITS PROVIDED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS – OFFICIAL INFORMATION

For more information about the GI Bill ® and how Truck Driver Institute interacts with it, contact TDI or visit the GI Bill ® website and Facebook page below.

Veterans Administration Official Information

What Is the Cost of CDL School with Tuition Reimbursement from Our Carriers?

Many carriers offer generous tuition reimbursement programs to help qualifying students with their truck driving school costs.

There is a nationwide shortage of Class A CDL drivers right now, and our country’s leading carriers are doing everything they can to keep their fleet properly staffed. Many trucking companies will cover part or all of the cost of your CDL training—and they can even put some extra money in your pocket. Tuition reimbursement is one of the best ways we help truck driving students from all backgrounds receive high-quality truck driving training.

These tuition reimbursement programs can vary by carrier over time. Our recruiters keep up to date with which carriers offer our students tuition reimbursement and how much of your truck driving school cost they cover. Our graduates are recognized as some of the best drivers in the country, which allows us to build and maintain relationships with a long list of carriers.

At Truck Driver Institute, we want to do everything in our power to make truck driving school as accessible as possible. We will help you with the details and walk you through the process to qualify, though we do not guarantee placement. The rest is up to you.

Jon and Tammy Walker

truck driving school costTruck Driver Institute was the best choice for us. TDI allowed us to explore all carriers opportunities. The instructors were top notch, caring, supportive, and patient. We would recommend TDI to anyone interested in a career in the trucking industry.

Partner With the Best.

A Few of Our Carrier Partners:

TDI Carrier Partners

Want to learn more about lowering your truck driving school cost with tuition reimbursement? Take a look at our current list of carriers below and click on their name for more information.

Werner Enterprises offers up to $6,000 of tuition reimbursement. Employees also receive paid orientation and vacation, a student bonus option, a 401(k) retirement plan and stock options, and health, dental, and vision insurance.

Schneider National offers up to $7,000 of tuition reimbursement. They also offer continual training, work in a variety of fields (such as regional, over-the-road, tanker, or team positions), a competitive starting salary, full benefits, a 401(k) retirement plan, paid time off, and performance-based bonuses.

TMC Transportation pays recent CDL school graduates while training at TMC in a nationally recognized program. New drivers were able to earn as much as $60,000 in their first year at TMC.

U.S. Xpress Enterprises offers up to $7,000 of tuition reimbursement. Their drivers also have the opportunity to work in a variety of disciplines, drive solo or team, earn competitive pay and benefits, get steady weekly miles, and drive well-maintained trucks with cutting-edge technology.

TransAm Trucking offers up to $6,000 of tuition reimbursement. Their competitive benefits and training packages include paid time off, a 401(k) retirement plan, a Cafeteria 125 Plan, a no-cost life insurance policy, and health and dental coverage for drivers, their spouses, and their children.

H.O. Wolding offers tuition reimbursement to recent TDI graduates. Their compensation package and benefits include a 401(k) retirement plan, paid time off, safety and mileage bonuses, rider and pet programs, entry-level pay increases and pay programs for additional increases, and reduced health care insurance benefit premiums.

KLLM Transport works with student drivers to start their career and pay their truck driving school costs. They offer several different career paths, allowing drivers to become a lease purchase operator, an over-the-road driver, or even a regional driver, depending on where you live.

Cypress Truck Lines offers tuition reimbursement for students who agree to drive with them after graduation. They are seeking drivers in Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, South Carolina, and Florida.

Stevens Transport offers tuition reimbursement with a number of unique benefits to TDI graduates. Stevens Transport will pay 100% of your monthly loan note, they will start reimbursing at your very first loan payment, and they will pay off your entire loan if you work with them for just two years.

Dot Transportation offers tuition reimbursement up to $4,600 for drivers who have graduated in the last three years. Enjoy paid orientation and training at one of America’s largest private companies with one of the lowest turnover rates in the trucking industry.

Why Can’t You Trust “Free” CDL Training?

“Free” CDL training is never actually free. If it sounds too good to be true, it usually is. Somebody always has to pay for that “free” CDL training. Take a closer look at any truck driving school that offers “free” tuition, and you’ll find that it comes with a big catch.

Those schools will require you to sign a contract to drive for a particular carrier for a specified period of time after graduation. This is called contract training, and typically it is how that “free” truck driving school can cover the cost to train you.

While contract training may save you a little money upfront, it can cost you a tremendous amount of money over the long haul. It eliminates your freedom to choose your employer or find yourself a better job driving for another trucking company. That’s why Truck Driver Institute does not engage in contract training.

Instead, our students are free to compare and accept employment offers from any of over 20 carriers that work with TDI. This way, you get the benefits of lowering your truck driving school cost while having the freedom to choose the best deal for you. Our carriers are some of the biggest, most well-known trucking companies in the United States. Even better, they’re actively recruit Truck Driver Institute graduates every week.

Take a look at our carriers above to get started. If you have any questions, call us at 800-848-7364 or contact us online.

Does TDI Offer Paid CDL Training?

During your 3 weeks (15 days) of training for your CDL at Truck Driver Institute, you are not yet hauling freight. Therefore, you are not paid during this training.

When you get your Commercial Driver’s License, you will have the opportunity to go to work with a carrier of your choice. TDI does not guarantee placement.

Once you join a senior driver to complete your on-the-job company orientation and training, then you will be paid.

While TDI does not offer paid CDL training, there are so many benefits to getting a CDL license and beginning your career in trucking. Let’s look at some of the amazing opportunities a CDL can bring you. 

Begin Your Career As A Truck Driver

Job Security and Flexibility

Truck driving has been a staple in American culture for decades. It’s the job field that has stood the test of time because of its flexibility. Truck drivers get to set their own hours and are in full control of their schedules, with the right carriers. Opportunities for truck drivers continue to grow as more and more industries use their services to transport goods all across the country. With CDL programs all over, TDI has been accommodating to wherever truck drivers decide to call their home. Truckers lavish in the adaptability of this career and enjoy the freedom that comes with a career in truck driving. 

Low Costs and Profits

Essentially, a career in truck driving means you’re working for yourself in a sense. Whether you choose to own your big rig or use a commercial truck, you are in charge of your own income. Many companies offer great starting pay with incomparable benefits, but it’s up to you to control the costs of mileage and calculate the best routes to save you the most money. One of the most alluring aspects of a career in truck driving is the opportunity to make the most money available. Often, people find that the low cost to get a commercial driving license is nothing in comparison to the amount of money you’ll be pulling in as a truck driver. There’s so much money to be made as a truck driver and many people are eager to get into this profitable field.

Career Growth and Sustainability 

It’s been proven that a good truck driver can earn a great salary, which contributes to the sustainability and longevity of your truck driving career. A CDL is only the first step in providing financial security for you and your family. This a field, where experience attributes to a heftier paycheck, and over time, your earning potential can soar. You can become as valuable of an asset to your company as the truck you drive or work for yourself. Many truck drivers decide to operate their own trucks, finding big rigs that better suit their needs on the wide-open road, taking on the cost and responsibility of operating on their own. Many have found that a trucking lifestyle is the one for them. 

Have more questions about how much truck driving school costs at TDI? Give us a call now at 800-848-7364 or contact us online.

We have 10 Locations to Choose From:

ATLANTA

100 Industrial Park Drive
Forsyth, GA 31029

BIRMINGHAM

4939 U.S. 78
Oxford, AL 36203

GULFPORT

20214 Highway 49
Saucier, MS 39574

INDIANAPOLIS

3542 East 500 North
Whiteland, IN 46184

NASHVILLE

6201 Epps Mill Road
Christiana, TN 37037

ORLANDO

3700 St Johns Pkwy
SanfordFL 32771

PENSACOLA

5750 E. Milton Road
Milton, FL 32583

COLUMBIA

3425 Lancaster Highway
Richburg, SC 29729

SOUTH BEND

24645 S.R. 23
South Bend, IN 46680

TUPELO

341 East Franklin Street
Tupelo, MS 38802

CALL US TODAY AT 800-848-7364

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*For Post 9/11 GI Bill® (Ch 33) students and VA Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment (Ch 31) students, our tuition policy complies with 38 USC 3679(e) which means Post 9/11 and Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment students will not be charged or otherwise penalized due to a delay in VA tuition and fee payments.  For eligibility consideration, a Post 9/11GI Bill ® student must submit a VA Certificate of Eligibility (COE) and a Vocational Rehabilitation Student must provide a VAF 28-1905 form. Students must provide school with a Certificate of Eligibility (COE) prior to beginning class, but not later than the first day of training. A print screen of Statement of Benefits page will be accepted in lieu of COE and verification of benefits will be required.  Please see 38 USC 3679(e) for complete details. GI Bill® is a registered trademark of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). More information about education benefits offered by VA is available at the official U.S. government website at www.benefits.va.gov/gibill