Fresh out of the penitentiary

hello everyone, this is my first post.

i have a felony drug conviction from 2010, and a dwi from 2004 :/

I am looking for advice from some people who may have been in my situation at some point in the past. I have made up my mind to become a truck driver and am wanting to know the most effective route to take in order to get there.

I am in little rock, and the Diesel Driving Academy here has an attractive 5 month program and a 99% job placement rate that I feel would prepare me and make me employable in spite of a felony conviction that i picked up last year. i have been shooting out e-mails and applications to the usual suspects (jbhunt, stevens, werner, swift, heartland, HDS and a couple of other small timers) explaining my situation and looking for a chance to prove myself in this industry. DDA is requiring me to obtain a pre-hire letter before they will enroll me.

is my dream achievable? i am willing to start at the bottom of the food chain and work my way up. if there is anyone on the board that has overcome these obstacles i would like to hear your story.

i understand that being insureable is another hurdle. any info you can provide would be greatly appreciated. i am interested in learning the "state of the industry" currently and am gathering as much information as possible so that i can make an informed decision about how to get my CDL.

I was locked up with alot of truckers, and even had a freeworld(c) trucker come and visit us on the unit and told us straight up that it was a solid industry for people who want to get their $#!T together and put their past behind them. this is what i want to do, because the things i was wrapped up in will get me killed eventually...and i have a family to consider.



thanks for reading.

 

all truck drivers are upstanding pillars of the community?


is the pre-hire requirement from DDA just a polite way of telling me to go eff myself?

 

Jane @ DDA (a recruiter/salesman) told me that because of my felony conviction, a pre-hire letter was required to enroll in the program. i asked her point-blank if she's seen people in my situation succeed in the industry, her response was that initially i might be looking at 12 month contract that might not be as lucrative...to me this is a small price to pay to start earning an honest living.


so i guess my next question is: how much of jane's pitch was smoke and mirrors? if i have to hire on with some back-alley mom and pop outfit for not much money that is fine with me. i don't have any illusions about the obstacles in place here.

 

you make lots of money...would you be interested in putting some of it where your mouth is?

 

this is good advice, i am shooting her an email right now.