I'm getting ready to go into a truck driving school. My question is how hard will it be for me to find a decent company to drive for when I have a felony on my record? I'm 34 now and was 19 when I got the felony. I was just young and dumb back then. Since then I haven't had anymore trouble with the law. My driving record is clean as a whistle. So do I have a chance in this industry or am I wasteing my 6 grand for trucking school?

Well I am in the same boat as you. Mine was 32 years ago. There are a few companies that will hire you ; but you will have to search hard and ask a lot of questions. I applied last week with watkins and shepard . Their recruiter told me they only went back 7 years. I called them the next day and they told me that they couldn't hire me because I had a felony. What a joke!! Be upfront with any company as they WILL find out if you have a felony. The companies that said they would hire me said they would put a {NO CANADA} on me so I would not have to go into Canada. Thats the biggest problem. You can't drive a commercial vehicle in Canada with a prior felony or DWI conviction. You claim some kind of re-habilation status with the canadian gov't ; but it will cost you money. It isn't worth it to me to do so. It seems you still get {BEAT UP} in this industry for mistakes you made early in your lifetime and already have paid your debt to society. Let me know how your company search goes as I too am in the same boat.

depends on the felony.


Felony's aren't generally deal-breakers, especially 15-year old ones.

Not mentioning a 15 year old felony, *is* a deal-breaker.

My conviction was a buglary. I have been honest about my conviction. The school tells me they can get me a job. My concern is are they just saying that to get my 6 grand to enroll or can they really land me a decent job? I guess its just a risk I will have to take.

Mine was for attempted B&E . Non-violent. Do a search of trucking companies for your state that are hiring and go down the list and some will list if they they accept past felonies or not. Most good companies won't . I wish we could get some feedback from people on this site that have been in our situation and tell us how they fared in their job search.

Hey all,well I have a felony and I have been to several companies in the past,it all depends on how old it is,some want to know exactly what it was you did,just to feel a lil safe if you were hired on,and one last thing I hear a lot of people yelling about spending their own money for trucking school.Here is what you do.The good ol'government has decided to spend some of our money back on us but you have to know what they are spendn it on,go to your local employment office and ask if they are supporting the "W.I.A. PROGRAM"(work investment act) if they are you can be approved to go through their school and they pay for the school except your CDL'S you have to pay for that photo license yourself.I know because thats how I got my CDL's back in 2003 and I paid for nothing but lunch when we stopped to eat my written tests,and my license.Try it out or call around to your local employment office and ask them before you go spending all your money up.
LOONEYTUNES

Go to page #5 of the Questions for new drivers forum, read the thread"How does the industry veiw ex-felons", It may be quite helpful to you. Keep your 6k, there are many companies out there that will pay for your schooling. Do some research and question what the minimum requirments are upfront.
As far as the felony goes, be honest and upfront with perspective employers. Most will appreciate your honesty, and don't beat yourself up. We've all made mistakes from time to time, and this industry is full of crooks and and people with questionable charactor. Stay focused and be persistant, you'll do fine. Good luck

im pretty sure they can only go by what you tell the company if you give them a reason not to hire you they wont hire you if you keep your mouth shut they might not find out about your felony. the company will only look back as far as they tell you they will, a friend of mine had a horrible work history were talking 3 jobs every six months for the past five years he made up a new work history with ppl to confirm this he was able to land the job but thats no felony, lets just say dont ask those types of questions directly to the company your trying to get hired by but try and find someone who may be able to help you in this situation before ruining all your chances of getting a job.

Sorry but falcon this is horrible advice. IMO. If you looking for work check each company that your interested in, tell the recruiter up front that you have a "background" and how long ago it was. Trying to hide it will only cause you more problems down the road....and possibly your hard earned cash. Dont lie on an application either, if it is found out that is grounds for immediate dismissal. There are companies out there that will help you get on the road, so be honest.

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I have been honest on all my applications. I got a call from Trans-Am today offering me a job once i complete truck driving school. My theory is to be honest from the begining that way later down the road it cant come back to haunt you.