Hitting a speed-bump on the trucking thing.

[gridlore]

Went out to look at Area Truck Driving School and spoke with some of the staff. Very nice. The weekend program is largely self-paced (hell, it's largely based on getting the materials and doing home study on things like the DMV test and pre-trip inspections.) The idea is that I come in and work on driving skills. They offer life-time employment assistance, and their "wall of fame" covers most of the office!

The drawback? It costs $3,805. Now that covers everything.. no fees for "truck rental" or fuel. The only thing I'd have to cover is the DOT physical (which I'll have to research a bit to see how I can cover that.)

Obviously, I'm going to need a student loan. Which is something I'm completely ignorant of. Really, all I know about student loans is that somehow money appears and you are require to pay it back. No clue about who gives them out, or where to start.

At a job site today a trucker mentioned that the Teamsters have their own school. That gets paid for through your dues once you are working. Have to look into that.

Any advice on how to start this process? I fully admit to not knowing what I'm doing.

Comments

[kevin-standlee.livejournal.com]

Hm, I had student loans when I went to CSU Chico, but there was a Student Aid office that had the forms and processed everything. Eventually a promisory note appeared, and I got a check and had to make payments. Eventually I paid off the mortgage on my B.Sc. degree, and what was (at the time) a relatively good interest rate in the high-interest 1980s. Try Googling for "student loans" -- that seems to return likely-looking sites.

[kshandra]

At a job site today a trucker mentioned that the Teamsters have their own school. That gets paid for through your dues once you are working. Have to look into that.

Which means we really need to call Local 665 and get proper withdrawal cards from them. I know I never got mine after the layoff....

[johno.livejournal.com]

Didn't the school mention that? Most VocEd schools know thier students can't pay upfront and probably can't pay in installments either and therefore are very good at getting the loans for you.

Will the trucking licence get you a promotion at your current place?

[gridlore.livejournal.com]

No, this would mean a new job. I love driving for L&S, but I can't plan a life on what they are willing to pay their drivers. I can start at twice at what I'm making now driving for one of the western-states only carriers.

I asked about financial aid, and Raman said they didn't do any of that in-house.

[drewkitty.livejournal.com]

When I was looking into bus driver training programs for work (long story) I talked to these people. Pricey. But worth it.

Getting your own financial aid over the counter at a bank or credit union can be done, but it costs (think consumer rates . . .)

I would probably go with AB instead, which is half the price but less than half the quality.

[brigideire.livejournal.com]

Hi-friend of friend who happened to see this. I used to work at Western Truck School (just do a search-they have a website). I didn't deal with the financial end too much but I know the school helped the students get the financing. I think their programs were more expensive but they had some deals if you paid one way or another. I can try to look for some info I might have on some of the places they used for financing if you like. You can start here though- https://www.key.com/html/H-1.3.html Check the Continuing Ed Loan link. I've heard their rates are pretty good. Also your own bank or CU might have a program for it as well. Let me know if I can be of any further help. Good luck!