Recent graduate

Well good luck buddy. They gave me a decent truck but I still had issues with it. The air conditioning went out on my trip to Florida in August. It sucked. Your DM is not your boss, safety is your boss. Your DM thinks they’re your boss. But the DM can cost you money. They can also make you money, but not much and don’t count on it. Just keep your records clean, get in and get out.

 

Hiring is very slow, you have multiple black marks. You don't even have your plastic CDL yet. Apply at another 200 companies. Experienced drivers with perfect backgrounds are barely getting "no thank you" emails from companies right now. You may technically qualify at a company but they have 20 other drivers, many with experience they can also hire.

There is no driver shortage.

 

That’s probably the main reason you’re getting denied.
Imo depending on the severity of your felony it shouldn’t really be an issue after 9 years.

Same with your mvr. Unless you had a couple DUI’s or some other crazy crap it really shouldn’t be an issue if your last five were clean.

I struggled getting on with larger companies when I started due to no work history. You got a buddy with a business that can fill in the gap?
If so you need to rewrite the history on your resume

In my case I found a carrier in MI to give me a shot and it turned out to be a really great experience. I never could understand his broken English but the guy paid on time every time. Even when I left I got paid without any games.

It’s also a very tough time to get hired on so carriers now can afford to be selective.

 

Did you submit an application yet to May Trucking:

Careers – May Trucking Company

May normally hires inexperienced drivers, & those with less than perfect histories.

I have seen them advertising of late for drivers to drive in the eastern US.

You might give them a try....

Much better than Western Express, for sure!

-- L

 

I don’t know if you follow the industry but trucking has been in a recession for over 2 years, and has not yet recovered. Companies are going bankrupt weekly. It’s a horrible time to enter the business, especially as a new driver. You’ll be under paid and unfortunately it doesn’t look like it’s getting better any time soon. It is a great time to get your experience, but experience doesn’t pay bills. Honestly it sucks, most new guys don’t make it even thru a full year before they quit. If you can make it 30 months, with a perfect record, you can get into Walmart. That’s the cream of the crop for van drivers who just want a good job. Walmart drivers make over 100k and have pretty good home time. If you specialize and go flatbed or tanker you can make more. Making over 150k will require you to become an owner operator, no matter which path you choose, and is still extremely difficult.