I cant find a job at 21 with a misdemenor a few years ago.

Many companies won't consider you if it has been too long since you finished driving school. For many three months is too long. I have heard anywhere from 2 - 6 months and then you will need a refresher course. Does your CDL school offer a free refresher course? Many schools do.

Also keep in mind that strait truck experience and local experience won't usually count as experience for an OTR driving job at most larger companies.

Unfortunately schools don't tell you this but you need to have driving job possibilities before heading to class to insure that you are investing wisely.

The misdemeandor will need to be three years old for most to look at you. Some will count from the final disposition such, as end of probation, not the date of the offense.

 

I am going to give you my stock, go to answer for people your age...........THE MILITARY.

You are young and in need of some real world experience probably. Just because you go into the military doesn't mean they will be shoving a gun in your hands and off you go the front lines of Afghanistan. The military has many interesting jobs, driving is also one of them. You get to see the world a little and who know's, you might find you like it and retire when you are 40 something with good income and then you could go trucking. I am just suggesting and alternative. The pay is much better than when I was in and the educational benefits are great.

Just sayin.....at least make an informed decision. Won't cost you a dime.

 

Maybe it's different where I live, but lots of the companies I applied at wanted people who were at least 23.

Actually... I think I read somewhere that you can't cross state borders in a CMV unless you were 23... Feel free to correct me though. I'm too lazy to find my little green rulebook lol.

 

18 for intrastate 21 to cross state lines.

 

if i were you id take that temp job driving the straight truck then after that go to a small company were you live and god willing if your incident free for the 3 months u drove for them always on time and what not they may actually be more willing to give you a shot

 

I came back because I had no time off to do much more than check email this past month.

The truck I drove was a 03 T600 daycab with two fertilizer boxes on the frame for a total of 16 ton capacity, though the density of product meant that it could only technically carry at most, 13,000 pounds before fertilizer would be spilling over the sides. Still, a 10 speed transmission in good shape, no governor, and that truck would easily do over 70 on the interstate. From this, I got much better at shifting and floating up in gears. Gear recoveries are much easier for me after doing this job, and I can usually get into the gear I want, when I want it, with different weights giving me lots of practice on understanding the role weight plays into the speeds gears are shifted to.

My job consisted of getting loaded, planning a course out to the field I would be delivering to, and either filling an applicator, or loading a farmer's spreader.

The job got tiresome because the hoppers would need constant sweeping out, but at least I got some more muscle mass. HOS regulations were not followed due to exemption, and it was not uncommon to get 14 hour days of driving during the busiest of the season. From this, I can only imagine that a maximum of 10 hours driving a day would make things much easier and less stressful.

During this time I also bought a Kindle and have learned to use the TTS option to listen to books while driving. Honestly, this is, in my opinion, excellent experience for long haul work, because it gave me an opportunity to see what worked to keep me entertained and from falling asleep/zoning out, while also helping me understand how to cope with boredom and fatigue.

The experience gave me a chance to see how my body would handle working on less than 8 hours of sleep a night, this was very insightful to see myself wearing down over the course of days. This also allowed me to find ways to keep myself alert for long periods while tired. It turns out caffeine is not the only option.

From this I also learned that my OCD that was being controlled by smoking pot, is a real problem sometimes. During my driving I learned that I can sometimes let myself do the stupid and embarrassing stuff that sometimes just needs to be let out sometimes. Without someone looking over my shoulder, I sometimes let lose with arguments against myself, discussing politics with myself, or just spending hours whistling along to techno.

At the end of this, I am now a few thousand dollars richer, have people that will highly recommend me, and some experience that gives me a foot in the door. It's been a long month, I'm sore, but I really feel like I've done something worthwhile. No longer do I feel like no one will hire me.

 

I have one for a possession charge when I was 17. I got my CDL and went straight to work with Prime in 08'. I have been looked at funny a time or two about it but never was a big issue. However a harrassment charge I dunno. Never heard that one come up before. As Ewill71 put's it maybe a problem for firearm purchase but yet I didn't have any trouble there either along with Hazmat, Twic card and a passport. And yes, most companies don't hire anyone under 23. I think this is because of insurance reasons. Some up to 25 before they will hire.

 

Well I got prehired by Crete a week ago. I went down to Lincoln, Nebraska, went through the pre work screening, got a physicsl, drug test. On the last day as I was loading my stuff in my trainer's truck, the head of Driver Development comes out and informs me that my background check came back and that the safety department determined that the charge that was leveled against me, even though it was dropped to a misdemenor, was enough to keep them from being able to use me.

I was instructed to leave the property at once and dejectedly loaded my car with my belongings before making a very long and depressing drive home. Honestly, it was very hard for me to not just burst into tears on the spot. Everything was fine up to that point, everything was in order, everyone liked me, and yet my background wasn't cleared.

 

Happy..
One member said try the Military. I am too! It can be a job for 3 -4 years depending on branch.They ALL have trucks and need an MOS that covers it. You already have the school and straight truck experience so the school they send to to will be a piece of cake! You also get $1400+ a month while training. You might not see hazardous duty after basic and MOS training. In 3 -4 years if you decide you can get out and then pursue a driving career. I did back in 75. If you go that route good luck BUT I would time that Basic Training for when it's cool not cold or so hot you die from heat exhaustion! Crawling through water when it's snowing is rated way to high and sweating so badly that sand sticks where you don't want a nice rash is highly over rated also!

I'm glad to see that you drove yourself to orientation. That was a smart move instead of relying on BFI to get you home which Crete has been known to throw rejects under the bus instead of in it! Do it for the next hopeful! Also being a VET means you get put at the front of many job lines. There are many companies that will pull vets out of the stack and put them on top. Then there are the Veterans Benefits which can come in handy! There are some very interesting driving jobs in the US Government that pay much better than out here and they are also sleeping in your bed at home much more that when OTR!!

 

Have you considered England? Ive talked to a few England drivers and some are happy and making it work for them. I think it would be easier to get into a lease company. I mean if you really want to do OTR, then it might be something for you. I think the key to making a company like England work for you is working your butt off and being smart. Theres a reason some make it work for them. Or the oil fields, they get some good money.

Worth looking into at least. Just a suggestion, good luck to you. Sorry youre having such bad luck.