I've screwed up my life pretty bad - will I even be able to get hired if I pass CDL school?

Western express maybe ?

 

Yes, you have a future as a trucker.
Yes, companies will hire you.
When was your last conviction?
You must be able to pass a drug test; might be hair follicle or urine.
Where is your location; state and nearest city?

 

Yeah, that's one.
If his last conviction is 2013 then he's in good shape.

 

It's a rare company that cares about convictions older than 10 years old. Those companies tend to only care because they go to Canada and the driver is not allowed.
In a nutshell, you should have no problem.

 

The company that I work for hires the occasional ex-felon. My trainer did time. It’s apparently not a deal breaker.

 

If you have pulse - chicongo welcomes you!

 

The mega companies are looking for perfect drivers, although their pay is far from perfect! In my recent experience in applying to Knight Refrigerated they "passed" on my application because I havn't worked enough in the last three years. Of course, that is total b.s., considering that they have hired me in the past and I have a perfect service record with them, no accidents and no citations. This is just an example of how picky and choosy the megas can be, even with the "driver shortage" that is drummed into everyone head. I remember one of the people at Knight headquarters telling us on an orientation tour, back before covid, that "we only hire the best drivers, the best of everything, including the janitors". So there's that.

So these megas will not hire just anyone, I've worked for Swift, Knight and Schneider. Of them all, Schneider seemed like they needed me more than others, probably because they didn't pay as much as the others at the time.

 

You will be fine man. Some companies might not take you but a lot will. After 1 year at a starter company without any accidents or tickets the door will open up for some better companies. 3-5 years clean record you'll be able to pretty much pick any company.

If you were talking felonies and say a DUI then you'd have much bigger problems. Good job getting clean

 

If you are serious and stay away from the drugs you can be a trucker. I’m telling you it’s a lifestyle change and you will be so glad you did.