need help for new driver-felony issues

It's nice to see that you've done some research on the legalities of his situation.

I think now you need to do some research on the forum here. The current state of the economy has caused a huge influx of otherwise displaced workers into the trucking industry.

Because most people believe;

1) that anybody can do it

2) that there is a driver shortage so they will take anybody

3) That the pay is decent

Whether these points are true or not the fact is that there are more applicants now than the industry has seen in years. A high percentage of these applicants are of the "squeaky clean background" variety. i.e. no criminal history, perfect driving records, previous job stability and, in many cases college degrees.

So with all other issues aside. This is the group that your husband will be competing with for every job that he applies for.

One other thing. You seem to be pinning a certain amount of hope on the idea that his history may not show up on a background check.

This board is rife with stories of people who have gone to a company orientation for new hires (sometimes several miles from home) and after being in orientation for a day or two the are "disquaified" for a background issue that the company didn't see before and, the applicant didn't disclose on their application.

At that point the applicant is usually tossed out and is responsible for their own transportation back home. In other words the company leaves them on the street.

Lastly there's a thing called a DAC report, issued by a company that's called Hireright. It's sort of like a credit report for driver's employment records in the trucking industry. Even if he gets past all of the other b/s all he has to do is make a small mistake and - the company could terminate him and put a negative remark on his DAC. That and his past (BTW if they fire him because of undisclosed information about his past - that will be on his DAC) will insure that he probably never gets another trucking job.

Having said all of that. I would still recomend that he gets a CDL. Because there are a few companies that run trucks that have little to do with the trucking industry. Construction is one. He may not get a driver's job right away but, the CDL is a "bullet point" on his resume.

JMHO

......... Jim

 

Don't know the legalities of the OTR issue related to registration, but being in GA, perhaps he could find an intrastate position (running only in GA).

It'll be a numbers game, though....just keep at the search. And I concur that at least getting the CDL is a good idea.

 

Lots of activity on this thread! This means that it IS being taken seriously and we are trying to help you.

OK, in rethinking the registration deal, it is my understanding that as long as he is registered at his address of residence, he should be in compliance. Check with the agency that he is registered with to find out for sure.

Now as to the aggregate companies being "local trucking." Yes, they are, but they are not what is normally thought about when somebody thinks of "local trucking." Most drivers think of local work as working for a less than full load company, and doing pickup and delivery. These are your common carriers and package delivery services. Read that to be Fedex, UPS and the like. There are many other LTL's out there as well.

Something else to think about is the solid waste industry. Every place needs somebody to drive the trash trucks.

Neither the aggregate companies nor the waste companies are the "first choice" of many drivers. And in a lot of places, these companies will not require ANY OTR experience. I've known aggregate companies to take a decent employee who was doing something else and actually help him get his class A license.

Most of these jobs have decent pay. They work long hours, and he will "get his hands dirty." There may or may not be benefits. But it is a job! And both offer a certain amount of possibility for advancement to the right individuals.

Also if there are any heavy construction jobs on in your area right now, he might get hired on there as a driver. Whether it is moving dirt, or driving a water wagon, again, it is a job.

There are jobs out there that he should be able to get, with his CDL. I hope he will complete his schooling and "go for it!"

 

Well ... don't give up LOL. We are giving you the best, objective, picture that we can. It just ain't pretty.

What Don said above about aggregate and solid waste is right on the money. So like I said earlier him having a CDL is a benefit no matter how you look at it. Heck, even septic pumpers in my area make around $13 bucks an hour.

Now that you've got the idea about DAC - know that not all companies use it, for various reasons mostly it is a subscription service so some smaller companies choose to not pay the fee. The big training companies almost universally use it though.

Kudos on your research and his determination to improve his situation.


............... Jim

 

Your Quote

"With the way the laws have changed on HAZMAT endorsements, to get his HAZMAT, he is going to have to go through a background check by the state that issues his license. It will certainly come out there, even if the employer doesn't find it for themselves. MOST common carrier trucking companies require the HAZMAT endorsement, due to the diversity of what they carry."

So if indeed you have received a hazmat endorsement, most issues with a past felony (over 10 years) wouldn't show up in a background check that a company will do?

 

Check with your state laws, sometimes one can get a post conviction relief and expungement of past felonys just for this very reason, unemployability. I would suggest though to seek an attorney who is well informed in this area. Good luck to you.