Another England tragedy...

Ok, so I've wanted to be a truck driver since I was a kid. I recently applied with CR England as I had no formal experience or CDL, for about the last decade or so I've been working for A Domino's pizza franchisee doing anything from delivering pizza, to running a store, building stores from the ground up, making commissary runs to load the truck up with food, so my license has been under the magnifying glass every 30 days for the last decade without any known hiccup. When I get my call back I let them know that at in August of this year, California let me know that my driving privledge was suspended in CA and if I didn't pay their ransom, they would make Tennessee pull my license, so I pay it and go on my merry way. I let them know I'm not sure how that shows up on my record but my TN license has been the active and clean license for the better part of a decade, the recruiter looks over my MVR's and says it should be ok let me have a supervisor review it, wait on hold, and am told all is well because its been paid and my TN license was valid the entire time.
Ok, so I assume all is well. Go to start the school in Fontana, CA, The motel is fine, its nothing special, but was clean, no bugs and quiet, was recently remodeled so the bathroom was actually quite nice. First day I take their shuttle to the facility because I don't know the exact start times and I figure I can't be late if I do, no complaints they had 2 12 passenger vans for about 48 people, so its implied if you don't get on the first set, wait for the second set, the motel had a decent continental breakfast and the lobby was warm and inviting. I was on the first set of vans that left at 4:15 am, no complaints about the time, its not that early. We arrive at their training facility about 15 minutes later and have to wait out side and it was about 45 degrees, not too bad, I had a nice Carhart jacket on, the problem was that we arrived at about 430 am and they didn't open the doors till about 645 am, so over 2 hours outside I was not impressed with. We get let in the building, one at a time, dropping our licenses and SS cards with the gal, Shawni, at the door, no complaints, just making sure they are our documents. We then go in to the lower level classroom and do what they have so lovingly dubbed as "Monday morning Chaos" which it is, there is no quick way to get 48 otherwise dim witted, illiterate people to complete a W-4, I-9, and CA DMV related documents quickly. Finally thats all complete, then were asked to review our applications for accuracy, now we have probelms. I get my application that I know I completed acurately and 100% of online and my work history is listed but the dates are wrong, we are advised to ensure all info is correct because if its not we will be fired, which is understandable, however, back to my license, none of my history is on the app they handed to me for review, so I ask their rep what I should put for suspensions because I still don't know how it shows on my MVR other than my recruiter, Kasey, said it was ok. So they just tell me to fill it out as best I can and give it back which I do. Then we are given a relatively simple open book test om FMCSA, I pass first time no big deal then were hearded 5 at a time for the drug test, physical and physical agility, no real complaints, I mean how can one More efficently do this. Ok so from like 12:00 pm to 6:45pm Im waiting at various points to complete the objectives, I pass, no big deal. Were given some dmv tests and answers to study with and are told to take the tests and there's no reason not to get 100% as its all open book and we have the answers again, I was one of like 7 people that passed with 80% or better the rest failed.
Next day were sperated so that those that have a licnese or a permit are not in the same class as those who have no experience. The majority of the next day is spent taking tests, half open book, half no book, and again only 7 passed with the open book and even fewer with no book, I averaged 95% on all the tests so no problems. This day it was also announced that there is a program called the Flex program, like an advanced program where in as little as 5 days we could be running in a team with a trainer and getting paid sooner for training. Were advised that work/study habits as well as attitude and classroom behavior factor in to the selection. Cool I’m hoping I get picked.
Next day we go to the DMV for our permit tests, I try to be first in line, get up hand in all my documents and am told I have to pay extra because I had a CA license along timeago and they want to re-instate it but they dont take credit cards, this is at about 8am, so I go and get cash and come back. By the time I get through the lines and get to take my test its almost 2pm, and their are people there who still cant pass the tests on their 2nd or 3rd tries. I pass all mine, the class C, A, Combonation and air brake tests the first time, missing no more than one per test, yay me!
The next day I’m stopped at the door and am told that I got selected for the flex (advanced) program and to go out to the yard and meet with instructors, well looking around me I see who also “made the cut” and I see all the people that failed, the only reason we made it here was because we had our own cars! Oh well, it’s my foot in the door, I’ll take it. The instructors, well I don’t fault them, they were definetly for those who don’t listen or havent ever driven with any kind of trailer before. Essentially they have the four DMV skills tests set up in the yard, strait forward and back, controlled right turn, alley dock and parallel park. Were told we will have a step by step demonstration to show us how to do it then we have to do it. We were told the first time, we would get alot of guidance and hand signals, the second try we would get less instruction and if we can’t do it the third time, we’re ######. On one hand it sounds harsh but on the other, this is the advanced program and if you follow the directions, its a cake walk. I pass all mine with ease the first time so my second time around my instructor asks if I want to try it with no help, not in a being a dick, just that if I feel up to it, he will entertain that idea.
The duration of the day I repeat the tests over and over with no problems, the other students, not so easy, I don’t understand how these guys would just do whatever they wanted, despite that the instructors were giving clear directions to complete the task. Now for the heartbreak. At about 2:30 one of the higher ups at the school comes out with a piece of paper and takes it to the instructors, all three guys are just shaking their heads in disbelief and they call me over and hand me the paper that states I’m disqualified for having too long of an administrative suspension on my license. I let them know that I did not know exactly how it looked on my record and that the recruiter said it was ok, and even brought it to their attention on the first day and they were like I remember, go ahead and call your recruiter so we can review this. Can’t get a hold of my recruiter, so I leave a VM, the instructor told me to go ahead and go back to the motel and we will try again tomorrow. Well tried to get a hold of my recruiter till about 10:30am with no resolve, so I go to the school to see what they want me to do, and they advise me I have to be out of the motel by 11AM because they were switching to the better motel but because I was DQ, I was not allowed a new room, to go home and try and resolve on Monday.
Well today is Monday and I called my recruiter let her know whats going on and shes like well you had a suspension so that’s why you can’t continue. I advised her of the conversation we had previously had by which she said it was ok, because my TN license was active and in good standing the whole time.... on hold again.... then was told that while it was on suspension it was for non payment of the ticket, so that whole time it was a failure to appear, to try again in two years. So now I have my permit, my medical card and enough skills to pass a test to get a CDL, anybody that I might try to get to hire me?

 

Thanks, I will look in to Schneider. As for the CSA2010 regs, I looked in to it and according to this I by default should not have been issued anything.

Has not had more than one license;

Has not had any license suspended, revoked, or canceled;

Has not had any convictions in any type of motor vehicle for a major disqualifying offense defined in 49 CFR 383.51(b);

Has not had more than one conviction for any type of motor vehicle for a serious traffic violation defined in 49 CFR 383.51(c);

Has not had any violation of State or local law relating to motor vehicle traffic control arising in connection with any traffic accident, and has no record of an accident in which he/she was at fault.

On the app for the class A CDL, you must check if you've ever had a license suspended, revoked or cancelled, obviously I checked yes, as California, the issuing state, was the one who suspended my privilege at one point. I would assume if I checked yes that it would be automatic disqualification and California should not so much as issued me a permit or let me take the test, So I'm not sure if administrative type suspensions are exempt or what. As well as CSA2010 prohibits any at fault accidents in the last two years? Seems like that would thin the heard quite a bit. I don't know, maybe these regs dont go in to full effect till 01/30/2012 like this says:

Beginning January 30, 2012, for each operator of a commercial motor vehicle required to have a commercial driver's license, the current licensing States must:

I don't know any input is appreciated, as for the congrats for not getting on with England, I was prepared for a worst case scenario I work just long enough to get on anywhere else and use it as my foot in the door.

 

I will probably consult a lawyer. As far as the suspension goes, they say its for an unpaid speeding ticket in 2008 which I know I paid, because I paid it the same day I paid my wifes cell phone ticket. The problem is that I wasn't informed till august of this year that there was any issue, I was told that my privilege in California was suspended a long time and now they were coming for my Tennessee license. I've heard of people getting the suspensions exsponged esp when its administrative over money and not because of poor driving. I put an ad on Craigslist, hoping to find an o/o that might let me do their pre trips, fueling any on duty, non driving time and let me drive for them some, if its done right, we could get 14 hours driving as a team daily. I know there's a place that will rent the smallest vehicle that constitutes a class a license, insurance and all for like 600 for the day, would just feel better about it knowing I've got a bit more experience.