How do the industry View EX-Felons

first of all, my pick-up truck doesn't have hubcaps........

second, i do have high blood pressure, and i am on pills for that......so what's yer point in getting a heart-attack.............anyone can get a heart-attack, in fact, its the number one killer for females, but alas, i am male.....so i shouldn't have any problems there........

third, you can survive on $5.00 bucks per hour, if you budget your money properly and live with-in your means..........as for an ex-con, that's like a million dollars (only this time, they didn't steal it).........

forth, its pretty well know that many ex-cons return to the "state hotel" some time in their immediate future..........as they cannot cope with the outside world.

fifth, i do have an "open mind" to helping people.........real people, not criminals. they can all rot in prison for what they have been convicted of.....

sixth, i don't play Hitler, he was a madman...........i on the other hand, am a man that gets mad..........there is a huge difference..........

glad we had this "chat"................:smt082

 

why i'm so glad you can "read" my mind................:smt044

 

nope, never was involved in any fist fights...........i'm a lover, not a fighter :smt043

not applicable to me.............

that's not too smart a question........as drivers, we all speed, just no one admits to it.........

untrue, mechanical, electrical, and tire problems happen at any speed, so what's yer point here..........:smt042

nope, i totally disagree..........from what i have been reading and hearing, its "habit forming" like any other smoking, only this one is against the law.....

well congratulations..........you're "almost" as perfect as me.....:smt043

i don't follow the "lord's sayings", so i don't know what this is you are saying................
and no, i don't live in a glass house..........those are too hard to insulate.....:smt043

 

Your Funny

 

This is a topic that has brought some different outlooks from many a person. I used to be on another board where this really started to wage a war. From the company side of it, some companies frown on the felonies across the board. As the driver is their mascot for their company. The driver is the one that comes into direct contact with customer. Other companies will consider the felony depending on what it was and how long ago. From a drivers point of view many veteran drivers get upset with it because they feel that their reputation is on the line. They do not want to be labled as a misfit or reject of some kind because of the public view of truckers.

Trucking has changed almost over night. What the outlook was 20 years ago is the difference between night and day. Truckers have a bad rep as it is. Now we can't blame all of that on the felons, but I can see why a trucker would frown on the idea that a lot of felons are viewing trucking as their lifeline. I am all for a person moving beyond their past and some people do change. Where I think the problem is when it is a recent change. You would not believe the amount of PM's I got from another board from people with felonies wanting to enter trucking and wanting me to help them find work. Many of these were not routine petty crimes, but some were very recent and they were having to take weekly drug test, go to their parole or probation officer for crimes like, cooking meth, meth with intent to sale, burglary, rape and a whole slew of other violent crimes.

It got to the point where I thought where are these schools getting these people from? Are they sitting outside the prison gates recruiting for their school when they get out? The sorry part is these schools knew ahead of time that most of these could never get a driving job, but them being a CDL Mill all they cared about was getting the person a CDL and collecting their 4 Grand to help them do so. Then that person would go and do everything they could to get hired with no luck at all. Then they would join a trucking website and beg for a job and other truckers would retaliate. Or the felon would get ticked off at a driver because they could not find work and the battle would be on.

I think that some of these do deserve a chance, but there are others that have no business behind the wheel of a big truck. I think that if anything the States ought to crack down on these CDL Mills and weed them out. It does not help someone that is down on their luck trying to get a fresh start and when they try they often return to the life that got them in trouble to begin with. Others would say, whose fault is it that they got in trouble to begin with? Trucking is not a very forgiving field. Your past often will come back around to haunt you sooner or later.

 

If you ain't a bunch of nazis then why did you delete me fer putting up a poll askin if others done some time? Y'all wonder why this site barely gits some posts, its cause these folks don't want to hear nothin but what they like. The truth scares em and they're ashamed. They give me a hard time over almost every post i make. I can tell ya one thing, I ain't never been no ones punk and i'm sure not going to be yous neither.

 

great post notarps!! that is a thought provoking well written post.

 

Some companies have low restrictions to past felonies, I assume going with that type of company to get more experience first, may help to get with a better company later.

 

If trucking is something that your brother wants to do than tell him to go for it. I have a buddy who was in a similar situation(ex-con). He was able to get a good trucking job($1100 a wk). He was totally honest about his past to his employer and it worked out fine, 6 months later he was invovled in an accident and was fired. He had an extremely hard time finding another company job after this so he struck out on his own. He now has his own authority, his own truck and trailer and is doing quite well for himself. Last time I talked to him he was hauling apples out of washington state and getting ready to get married. His road was not an easy one but he found a way to make it. Nobody is perfect and everybody makes mistakes and people will always attempt to hold you back. Sometimes you just have to make a way for yourself. Good luck

 

BTW....It's not how the industry veiws ex-felons, it's how the ex-felon veiws himself that will determine his or hers success whatever the chosen field may be.