Top Secret Security Clearance?

Drugs, financial instability to name a couple.

 

I think a lot of you are reading way to much into this thread.
A security clearance to work in or for government either contractor or direct employment is no big deal. Most get declined mainly for failing drug testing or other substance abuse.
Moving sensitive military equipment, munitions etc normally requires some background check or the company hauling it is bonded and certified to the max.

 

They want to know what you know about Moose and Squirrel secrets.

 

I had "financial instability" from age 18 forward and it was resolved in 2007, 9 years after beginning Truck Driving. That's MY Story & I'm Sticking to It.

That silly HAZ-MAT endorsement had enough Hoops.

CHEERS!!

 

Barstow (Barstool), CAL., Marine Corps Logistics Base, Picked up some things that went to Wilmington, NC., in a 53' Dry Van. That was a FUN RIDE!!
Sometime from 2005 - 2012, Do not recall any amount of "hoops" (special documents), just the "usual check in procedures for ACTIVE Military Bases" and my H.M. was active to June of '12.

 

I used to pull loads for Uncle Sam. Haz mat loads were never placarded, at least mine werent. Never had any paperwork on them either. And having a haz mat endorsement wasnt a job requirement either although I had one, so maybe it was but they just didnt tell me it was...

Just the clearance. Which I had from my army days.

 

You won't need a top secret security clearance for any job you aren't stuck in a well monitored, secure location. Believe me. Had a TS/SCI clearance for 26 years. I retired and got into trucking so I could get out of windowless dungeons and see the country. Loved what I did, but was glad to finally be free of all that.

 

that would be interesting.... I would qualify-----i know of a few companies that require that.... most are hauling explosives but look me up.... that'll be fun

Reach out to me... I'll consider it. 20 years experience and Veteran @ProtectiveEdge

 

You got to be joking.

 

OK. I had a TS/SBI clearance for 8 of the 10 years I was in the Air Force.
There are 4 levels of Security Clearance:
Secret. Top Secret. Top Secret/BI (Background Investigation). Top Secret/SBI (Special Background Investigation) Each one has more rigor to it than the previous, with TS/SBI being the most intensive to obtain. I got mine not long after high school. A couple FBI agents went to my hometown and talked with several of my teachers, friends parents and former employers. It took 9 or 10 months from when I submitted a quite extensive application until the clearance itself was actually granted.
Biggest hurdle for most is financial responsibility. Unpaid and/or extensively late payments on debts, stuff like that.
They do not expect or require you to he squeaky clean. I had a previois history of pot usage and some drugs (not much and had not used any for some time before this) and was still granted the clearance. I didn't try to hide anything. I answered the forms as honestly and to the best of my ability.
The money issues speaks to your risk. Money is a common motivation for folks to sell secrets. If you have issues which suggest you aren't financially VERY responsible, it is considered a significant risk.
As for other issues, like my previous pot and drug usage, those need to be known so they are not a potential black mail issue. After all, once they knew, there was no longer any ability to blackmail me. So, it is of paramount importance that you truthfully answer all the questions asked. IF they discover something during the investigation process you did not disclose to them, it makes them wonder what else you might be hiding that could be used to blackmail you. They do not expect or require you to have a squeaky clean background. We are all only human. But, if they already know everything that could have been used to blackmail you, you aren't a risk for being blackmailed!

Anyway, I have no idea about driving jobs requiring clearances. I was an electronics technician and worked on the equipment used for intelligence gathering and analysis.

Only lasting residue for me is that I am required to obtain permission from the NSA on anything I might publish, such as a book. Many folks who had clearances, even TS/SBI level clearances, do not have this requirement. However, due to what I was exposed to during my time in the intelligence community, I do. Their fear and the reason for the lifetime requirement is if someone writes a Tom Clancy type book that potentially reveals too much about sources and methods actually used.
Lastly, I got out of the Air Force and intelligence community at the end of 1988. Anything and everything I ever knew is pretty obsolete given how the world has changed since then. And, the reason I ended up leaving the intelligence world is because at the time I got out of the Air Force I was married to a German national. While in the military, it was allowed to have a clearance and be married to a foreigner, as a civilian it wasn't. The story gets complicated from there.