Trying to get started

You do have a chance but it will be hard and take a lot of work on your part. I don't know how much experience you have but the more experience and the cleaner your MVR is the better your chances will be to get into a better company....

Remember, if you hold a CDL the likelihood of you not being able to work is far less then someone without one. The major factors are a clean MVR, and experience.

Understand that the job you can get may not be the job you want but make the best out of it until you can move on to better pastures...


Good luck

 

Welcome to the TTR Forum. It will be mighty hard to predict the possibility of your finding a job without knowing what you are talking about. It is your business and airing it in a public forum can be brutal. Those who have no criminal past will be choosen over you obviously. It is quite possible to get a chance though.

If it is drug or alcohol related then your chances go way way down. Same with violence or sexual crimes. If you have tickets or accidents in addition, then your chances go down too.

Here's my standard copy and paste advice. It is aimed toward helping new drivers avoid common misconceptions, pitfalls and disappointments about the industry. I hope you find something of value in it.

You need to research and find out what the important questions are. You can make an above average living but you will make sacrifices that other jobs don't require. Read the "good companies" and "bad companies" section on this forum and get an idea of what company you want to work for and what kind of trailer you want to pull. Don't just go to school and then try to figure out where to go.

I don't know your financial situation. Don't take training from a company if you can afford it or get it with financial aid. You will be their slave for up to year. If you leave they will trash you DAC and credit record. Check out your local community colleges and employment office.

Just know that most training and trucking company recruiters will do nothing but lie to you. They will let you talk about what you want and then tell you what you want to hear. Trucking is about moving freight to make money for the company. Your home time, family, paycheck and everything else comes second.

It is not like any other job. Local is usually backbreaking delivery work 10+ hours a day, 6 days a week. Often you unload dozens of times a day or you are a salesman. In my area most dump truck jobs pay less than a good factory job. Regional is lots of loading and unloading time, fewer miles than OTR and not as hard as local but will wear on you and push your HOS limits. OTR is out 3 - 5 weeks with 3 - 4 days home, less manual labor and more miles.

You'll probably have to pay your dues before you get the gravy job. Weekends off, if you are lucky enough to get something like that starting out, may be home Thursday afternoon and leave Saturday night or home Friday night and leave Sunday afternoon. Loads deliver on Monday early and you leave in time to get them there. Often your home time will be in the middle of the week.

Regardless of your driving choice, after school you will go through company training. For OTR this can be six weeks to three months with little or no home time. The first phase is usually $400 a week and the second phase is $500-550 a week. Some pay less. One company pays 12 CPM for training.

You don't want to wait around too long after training or you'll have trouble finding a job. If you get out before you have a year in, when you try to come back a few months later you will find they want you to start over. Most OTR companies don't put any value on local experience so it is better for your career to drive OTR first if you will ever want that option.

One more thing, if you have anything that makes you less desirable than your competing job applicants, a phone or in-person interview will often bring the best results. Even if I am the best candidate I will choose face-to-face if at all possible and phone if not. Sure you may have to fill out that online application but that isn't the best way to get a good job. You have to do something or be someone who stands out from the crowd. Do regular follow-ups by phone on the jobs you really want. Too many new drivers just settle for a job from the list the school has. There are many more options available. The school works in volume and looks the best when it says 90+% of our graduates find employment. So obviously they get better results from companies that hire in higher numbers.

Now I'll share some thoughts and opinions on common misconceptions. New OTR driver starting pay is usually about $35,000 - $40,000 annually. It will probably be less if you choose regional because you will drive fewer miles. You will most likely see all the sites you can from the truck windshield on the Interstate or parked at the truck stop. The company will not allow you to go out of route or bobtail around to sightsee.

Other helpful suggestions include attending school in early spring. This will give you several months to acclimate yourself to your new driving career before you have to tackle the chore of winter driving. It also will get you started in the busier time of year when more miles are available to make you more money.

 

Most look back 5 years,some 7 years and some 10 years.You gotta call and find out from the companies.

 

From ads I have seen Swift and Stevens ask that it is more than three years old(going of craigslist ads). I have a misd charge as well but it is 5years old. Best thing to do is talk to a recruiter. But i am just a wannabe so take everything I say lightly. Hope that helps. Good luck.

 

Misdemeanor's are not considered nearly as serious as felonies by carriers. It will depend on the offense. The longer the time since the infraction, the better. Most carriers will not hire anyone with a felony that is less than a minimum of 5 years old. Policies differ with misdemeanor's. As someone else suggested, your best bet is to contact some recruiters and see what they say. Each carrier can have a different policy when it comes to criminal charges. For instance, a DUI may be considered a misdemeanor, but most carriers will not touch anyone for 7-10 years after the offense.