What If I Can’t Afford Truck Driving School and Have Terrible Credit? Does that Matter?

The upfront costs of CDL training at Truck Driver Institute are roughly $200-$300 dollars and the total cost can reach thousands of dollars. For some, this cost may seem too high. So, what if you can’t afford truck driving school and have terrible credit? Luckily, there are multiple ways to decrease your overall costs, including grants, scholarships, and tuition reimbursement programs. Plus, if we can get you qualified for a major truck line, which is step one, we have ways to strengthen your credit acceptance.

Once you have your commercial driver’s license (CDL), most trucking companies will not use your credit score as a factor in their hiring process. Good credit is just a useful means to help pay if you can’t afford truck driving school out of pocket. However, it’s not the only way to pay for your CDL school. Read more about how much truck driving school costs overall. 

At Truck Driver Institute, and other truck driving schools across the country, there are opportunities to get financial aid to help lessen the burden of getting started. There are scholarships, grants, and loans available for people who are seeking to get their CDL. If you are being financed through an in-house department with a trucking company, your credit score usually won’t matter. 

Bad credit also won’t disqualify you from student loans, so you can get your CDL even if your credit score is less than perfect. There are special training programs that you can apply for that will help fund your CDL schooling. However, keep in mind that Truck Driving Institute does not accept Title VI financial assistance, which is the FASFA form that you would fill out for traditional college or technical school.

Ways to Boost Your Credit

Having a good credit score may not matter in some cases, but it is still important to try and raise your credit score if you’d like to make major life changes, such as buying your own truck in the future. The amount you owe and your payment history are huge factors in determining your credit score. Fortunately, the factors that determine your credit score are not a secret, and there are a few ways to help boost your credit. The simplest way to start building up your credit is by paying your bills on time, which shows that you are reliable. Also, your past payments are a good indicator of your future payments, so if a lender looks into your credit history and sees that you are dependable and that you pay your bills on time, you are more likely to get a loan. 

If you are having trouble keeping track of all your bills and when they are due, you can set up automatic payments, which takes the money out of your account and without you needing to remind yourself to make sure its paid. If you would prefer to make the payments manually, consider getting a calendar and making a note of when each thing is due or set reminders on your phone or computer. This way you will have notifications reminding you that your bills are due. 

Paying off any debts you may have is another factor to helping with your credit score. While it may be difficult to pay them off all at once, you can pay a little at a time to start working on lowering that balance. Also, try keeping your credit card balances low to avoid getting too much interest on it.