drug felony convictions

Please, people...get back to the OP question. A felony drug conviction is NOT the end of the world. See if you can get your record expunged and your civil rights restored. Show initiative in getting yourself in a position so that you can honestly say you have done everything you could to straighten your life out and document all of it. See if you can get a few letters of recommendations that reference your felony and how you have demonstrated yourself as a "changed person". I know of what I am talking about...use the search function, it is your friend...this topic has been horsewhipped a number of times.

 

Thx & I agree. A felony, at least if it's several years old should not be an impossible obstacle.Look to smaller companies, try to build relationships/friendships with people in the industry. Maybe you will have to start on the dock or as a yard jockey, but if you want it badly enough it can be done.

Where do you live, how old is your conviction & what was it for?

 

Great point from Boardhauler, look at smaller and/or family run small companies. They are often more willing to give you a break, and sometimes pay as good or better then the big boys.

 

Why does every felon, drunk driver and unemployable ragamuffin think Truck Driving is a catchall basin for all that falls to the bottom and they have a right to both a CDL and a job?

 

Because that's pretty much what it is in an awful lot of cases. And that's historically true as well. There were some serious outlaw types on the road when I started back in the 70's. I can't count how many people I know that had to give it up when they started drug testing.

 

This is an industry where backgrounds were not always checked very closely. This has always been a tough business. Thirty or 40 years ago you had to be pretty resilient to survive. It was much easier to hide bad behavior or convictions when I first started in this business. With the current scrutiny required by the feds it is next to impossible to hide a previous criminal conviction. Some companies may be more forgiving with some convictions as long as everything else checks out. There are still people who are willing to give people a second change. Unless we offer people a hand up they are likely to go back to their previous bad behavior. There are some who just made a bad decision or mistake and will never repeat their mistake. Others will never stop. By the way, California at one time had a program for felons to assist them in getting a CDL and a job as a driver. I have no idea if that progam is still in place.

 

because not everyone with a felony, DUI histoy, or other issues, should be locked up for life rather then given a 2nd chance. And trucking has always been an industry where people tend to be easier going and more likely to give someone a 2nd chance at getting their life back together, it one of the few industries, beside maybe being a mechanic, where this happens.

 

What planet are you from?

 

Having had the opportunity to work with some of these fine, upstanding felons that you speak of over the last ten years or so...I have found that the overwhelming majority of them are criminal morons that wear their prison time like a badge of honor and try to intimidate people that they work around with it.
The druggies tend to continue to be druggies and the theives tend to still be theives!
I would pass over a felon in a heartbeat if there was an applicant that was as qualified that I could hire instead because I just want someone to work and that I can trust not to play mind games with other employees and/or use drugs and/or steal me blind when I'm not looking!

You might be a felon and you are probably a good guy...But you are the exception to the rule!

Why would anyone in their right mind take a chance hiring someone with a background like that?

Striker's right...Trucking has always been a place where these guys can find work and in the last 10 or so years it has become increasingly more difficult for them to find work in the industry because employers are sick of finding out after the fact that a guy is still a criminal!

 

No offense to anyone, but PERSONELY I would prefer not to have anyone with a DUI or drug charge behind the wheel of a 4wheel, much less a truck. Yes i've met some really good people that did the whole "experment" thing, but i've also met the ones that are clean for years have a really bad day and fall back to drugs/booze because they "knew" that would relax them and they wind up getting themselves or an innocent hurt. I'll admit the ones that I know that have fallen back have always been for booze.