I found a school for $3,000 but I only have $3,300 to my name.

Do I pay for school and hope I get hired with only $300 left over
or
do I go work for Schneider or Millis and get free schooling and start working with $3,300 safe in the bank??

 

Can you live on $300 while in school, AND for the first 2-4 weeks out on the road before your first paycheck?

 

put it on a credit card................and pay it of in a year!

 

better yet, have you talked to the school to see if they could help you with some financing or financial aid of some sort through the school?

You should also contact your local unemployment/workforce offices. There are a few different government programs that will pay your tuition in certain situations. Any arrangements that you can make on your own are better than going to a carrier sponsored CDL program.

If you can't find any other way of getting it paid for, then it's your decision as to whether you spend your own money or go to a carrier sponsored school. I paid for my own schooling and haven't regretted it, but I had additional funds to back me up.

Arky

 

To begin with, the company sponsored training isn't free. They just let you pay it off while you're working for them. After a certain time you're free and clear. One thing you may want to consider is going the company route and keeping what you have in the bank. If you like the company you can stay long enough to pay it off, and then look for a better company. If you don't like the company pay them off with the money you kept in the bank, and then move on. I wouldn't want to start off with only $300

 

nighbrite1,

Like you I'm low on dough,so I chose a company that pays 100% of the school so I'll have enough cash to pay bills during the lean times of training.
It seems almost everyone requires a years commitment so why not get the freebies if you can.
That's just my opinion.

 

Putting anything like that on a credit card is about the worst thing you could do. Just look at the interest rate credit cards charge.

kc0iv

 

Maverick only requires a 6 month commitment and they only charge you $2500 for the schooling if you fail to stay for the six months. But...there is a downside...Maverick has a looong waiting list depending on what state your from. You would just have to ask a recruiter about that.

I can also tell you that the school that Maverick uses here in Arkansas is very reasonable if you pay your own way. I paid $1400 for tuition and rented a scrubby little motel room down the road for $125/week x 3 weeks. The room was old and small and the bed was like a sheet of plywood, but the room was kept clean and in a good neighborhood. I never added it all up, but I'm figuring I spent somewhere around $2,000 counting food. This might be something to consider, you could drive down here for a lot less than $1,000.

If your interested, let me know. I can get you in touch with the school and the hotel that I used.

Arky

 

Not necessarily. You can beat the banks a little. If someone has decent enough credit they can apply for a card that is offering a 0% balance transfer for 12 months. Put the cost of school on one card and then transfer it to the new card at 0% for a year. I've been doing this for years.

 

Wouldn't you still pay the 75 bucks for the balance xfer fee? Regardless, that would be really cheap interest...not a bad idea! :wink: