Funding Your CDL Training

WorkSource WA is the gateway to federal workforce funding in Washington. Inside WorkSource, the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) is the primary funding mechanism — a federal program for eligible adults and dislocated workers that pays tuition and fees directly to approved training providers like Taylor Made TDS.

Taylor Made is listed on Washington's Eligible Training Provider list (CareerBridge), which means we're pre-approved to receive WIOA funds on your behalf. The funding comes through an Individual Training Account (ITA) — WorkSource routes payment directly to the school once you're approved. You can verify our listing directly on CareerBridge.

The catch: funding is competitive and needs-based, not guaranteed. Living expenses are not covered. Start by enrolling as a job seeker at your local WorkSource office. Skagit County WorkSource: 315 S. First St, Mount Vernon WA · (360) 416-3600.

These Taylor Made TDS programs are approved for WIOA funding:

As of July 4, 2025, federal law expanded what 529 education savings plans can pay for. Under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (Public Law 119-21, §70414), CDL training at WIOA-approved schools now qualifies as a Qualified Postsecondary Credentialing Expense — meaning 529 distributions for your training are federal-income-tax-free. Taylor Made TDS is listed on Washington's WIOA Eligible Training Provider list (CareerBridge), which qualifies us under this provision.

Eligible expenses include tuition, required fees, books, supplies, and required equipment. Room, board, and transportation are not covered. If you or a family member has a 529 earmarked for college, it may well apply here — check with your plan administrator to confirm your state plan is aligned with the new federal rules.

You can use a 529 plan for CDL training. Federal rules cover programs on a state's WIOA training provider list, and ours are on Washington's: Class A, Class B, the Upgrade, the 40-Hour Refresher, Passenger, School Bus and Passenger, and HazMat. Your own 529 provider decides whether a withdrawal qualifies, so check with them before you enroll.

Washington's Division of Vocational Rehabilitation (DVR) covers CDL training costs for students with qualifying disabilities who are seeking employment. We have students enrolled through DVR right now. If you have a documented disability and are looking for work, DVR is worth a call before you assume training isn't affordable.

If you or anyone in your household has worked in agriculture — farm work, animal production, or food processing — within the last 24 months, you may qualify for training funding through the National Farmworker Jobs Program (NFJP), administered in Washington by Opportunities Industrialization Center (OIC) of Washington.

NFJP is a federal program under WIOA Section 167. It provides job training, tuition assistance, and support services, and CDL training is among the programs it funds. Eligibility is based on your own work history and household income, not on anything you need from us — OIC determines whether you qualify and works with the school directly from there.

OIC serves Skagit County from its Mount Vernon office, a short drive from our Burlington campus. It is worth a call before you rule training out on cost.

Many employers — especially trucking and logistics companies — sponsor CDL training for drivers they plan to hire. If you have a job offer or employer commitment, ask them about sponsoring your training costs. We can work with employers directly.

Some regional carriers also offer signing bonuses large enough to cover training costs retroactively. That's not a scholarship — it's a paycheck with a head start.

Separately, many carriers run tuition reimbursement programs that pay back part or all of your training cost once you are hired and driving for them. These are the carrier's own programs — we have no partnership with them and no control over their terms, which change often. Research the ones that interest you before you start training as well as during your job search, and confirm the current terms directly with the carrier.

As of 2025, Taylor Made TDS is an approved training provider under the IAM/Boeing Joint Programs Education Assistance program. If you're a Boeing employee and IAM District 751 member, CDL training may be covered — contact your Joint Programs Career Advisor to confirm current eligibility.

If you currently receive Basic Food (SNAP) and qualify for Basic Food Employment & Training, you may also qualify for retraining benefits through the Department of Social and Health Services. Contact your local DSHS office to ask what assistance programs you are eligible for.

One thing worth knowing before you call: DSHS does not pay schools directly under BFET. It contracts with community and technical colleges and with community-based organizations, and those contractors arrange and fund the training. So the question to ask DSHS or your BFET case manager is whether training at Taylor Made TDS can be funded through their contractor — not whether we accept BFET.

We have had students whose training was funded through DSHS. If you are working with a DSHS caseworker, tell our office and we will help you and them sort out the route.

Washington State L&I offers vocational retraining programs for workers injured on the job. If you're currently on an L&I claim and are interested in CDL training as a retraining option, contact your L&I vocational counselor.

Taylor Made TDS does not provide financing. Some students finance training through a bank or credit union — contact your own bank to ask whether they offer a secured or unsecured loan for vocational training.

If we ever make you aware of a private lender, understand what that does and does not mean: we do not require you to use any particular lender, we do not endorse any lender, and we do not receive compensation from any lender based on loan volume. You remain free to choose your own financing source, and no lender we reference affects our published tuition or fees.

A student loan is your responsibility to repay regardless of whether you complete training or find work afterward. When you take a loan you sign a promissory note with the bank; it works like any other loan.

Financing through a lender we reference, where available, applies only to registration, tuition, course materials, the sales tax on those, and any optional school-arranged lodging package you elect. Vendor Fees — drug testing, medical exams, and Washington State DOL fees — cannot be financed that way and must be paid directly by you, from whatever source you choose.

If you plan to use school-referred private financing, complete your DOT physical, drug test, and Commercial Learner Permit before you submit a loan application or begin behind-the-wheel training. Using any other funding source — self-pay, WIOA, employer-pay, or a loan you arranged yourself — you must complete those same steps before starting range and road training.

Prefer to pay directly? We accept cash, cashier's check, personal check, company check, and ACH bank transfer with no processing fee. PayPal and credit card are also accepted, with a processing fee of up to 3.5%. Debit cards are accepted for the registration fee or up to $250 per transaction. Checks should be made payable to Taylor Made TDS, Inc.

Payment plans are available — a typical plan is 1/3 due 10 days before class starts, 1/3 halfway through the program, and the final balance at graduation. Payment plan arrangements must be made with the school in writing before your start date.

Full payment, a signed payment plan agreement, a sponsor payment voucher, or an approved employer purchase order is due 10 days before class starts. If that is not in place, you may be moved to a wait list or a later start date, and we will tell you in writing before the first in-person class day.

Accounts you or a private employer are responsible for must be paid in full before we can issue a Certificate of Completion or schedule skills testing — except where regulations prevent us from withholding those while a third-party payment is still pending.