Profile For Michael Tuomala

Okay so I got my CDL on Wednesday and I got it driving a Manuel Transmission, my first day the trainer tried to talk me out of testing in a truck with manual tranny, I got about 5 hours of driving over the course of 7 days to whit I impressed the tester and not only got my CDL A on first try but impressed the tester so much ( I took my test during rush our in Salt Lake) I over heard him talking about me to other instructors while I was getting coffee the next morning. This has not gone to my head, I just did the best I could when I was on the button, and was noticed doing it, by someone who tests 4 or 5 people just like me every day, in short made me feel good about what I have learned so far.

So while I was at C. R. England's school I heard about a company called PRIDE which happens to be owned by a brother of England's and they supposedly don't get along very well. I looked into PRIDE and was sort of impressed, today I filled out the entire application and guess what...I did not have to say I had any felony's they are the first company I have found that has a limiter of any time on the question. PRIDE wanted to know if I had done evil in the last 10 years, so I happily said Nope, Nope Nope on all the question. In short I think I have a shot with them, and they take new drivers with out experience and finish the training OTR.

Now that is not the only good thing happening, I also have a foot in the door with a company called TIPS That's an acronym for Transport Solutions, a short haul company that mostly hauls sugar beets. 9 months out of the year and they pay Trainees to prepare for the CDL test. I talked to the recruiter and I fall into their "advanced" category, meaning I have CDL just need orientation to get going with them and they are willing to do that too, they even have some work on road construction going on right now up in Watford City ND to keep drivers who want to work in the summer going. To whit I said if possible I would like to drive as soon as I can to begin improving my skills. The long and short of it is that I have some confidence in the possibility of becoming a truck driver even if it is not OTR, but even that seems to be a good possibility.

Interestingly, with knee replacement surgery, an overnight hospital stay is not always necessary. Depending on the Doctor’s opinion, I may have my morning surgery and be sent home the same day. That is amazing to me.

While I’m in Kalamazoo for the knees, I will probably also have cataract surgery for both eyes and get my freaky finger fixed. While I’m in the shop, I might as well get as much done as possible.

BK that is one Freekey looking finger lol, as for getting outta the hospital on same day as surgery, yep that's pretty common you just have to have someone drive you home or to where ever you are going to recoup at. Since I had my abdominals worked on last month and went home same day that was not too bad until the next day, Holy Cattle herd did that hurt, was literally flat on my back for the better part of 2 weeks. With your knee you should be ambulatory in a day or two but it will hurt, had that done when I was 20, could move about, but not so great. It might take a while before the first leg is strong enough to support you when the second leg gets worked on, at least a month maybe longer. Take care of your self.

Michael, how's it going? I hope you're hanging tough and getting the job done!

Yes sir I hung tough got the job done, took test today got 100% on in cab and pre check stuff lost 2 points on off set backing and nearly aced the drive test for manual transmission with only 3 hours of practice, tester was so impressed with my safty consciousness that when I stalled on a hill and killed the engine he only took one point because I didn't panic and got-er started right quick with out dilly dallying and I tested during rush hour in Salt Lake City. So yeah I am happy I got started well now just gotta try get hired some place.

Michael, where is the school located? And, yes, 10 days is pretty short. If you do well during these 10 days, do you then get additional training? I’m glad you have this opportunity. All it takes sometimes is to get your foot in a door. This may be it for you. Keep us posted, yours is an interesting case study.

I am in Salt Lake City and I am on day three right now I am very concerned about the training and the way things are going. There are a very large number of Hindu type Indians who are test failures as I understand it and it is creating a big problem getting time on the backing range as well as actual training for incab part of pre trip, there are 4 trucks and at least14 or so Hindus who can't speak English for crap and 10 in my "class" that started Monday. There are also people from the last class who are going on their second try at the test. At one point today I think there were 30 people out on the range. I had only two times in truck to work on offset parking, I am not happy about that at all. I don't have my computer so it sucks trying to communicate on the phone.

Well I am at C.R. Englands driving school finished day one, I wasnt going to do this because I dont think I can get a job, with them or anyone else for that matter, but I kinda got forced into it. My last employer “separated” themselves from my services, it is the nice way of saying you are fired because we can do it. I was literally doing precisely what they said I had to do, they refused to let me go back to work with out being 100% even though I wasnt prior to setting up date of operation. Any how long story short, I had been preparing to find a new job as a truck driver, as some here know, and found out it ain't easy ride for me due to my old felony case. But here I am and only 3 weeks past the operation, I function but it took a toll on me. I have to up date the CR England program, you no-longer go to school as an employee, rather you pay to go to their school just like any other for profit school, the only up side is they of course know your at their school and if you are a good student with a good record they do hire from the school, it is after all THEIR school even if they have a separate paper trail. So I paid the 3K to attend, that was a 1 k discount, and I get to have Manuel tranny training for an extra 500. One thing that gives me some hope is the “recruiter” seemed to be legitimately interested in me going to school, and she knows about my criminal history, aaaand she said it probably wont be a problem because it is so old, seems they don't go back to the day you were a sperm sample swimming around like other big company programs do. Also this is a 10 day program, so that might be tough sell to other company's as far as quality goes. Well I am going to do some studying and sorting out the things I have to memorize as part of the pretrip part of road test.

I literally started CREnglnad driving school today, there are people here that barely speak English, lots of dot on forehead Indians. I don't have my computer with me but I will document a bit on why I am here since I told BK I wasn't going to be making the attemp for a while. But to answere the question on the topic I think some of it is people who don't understand the country as well as English, some other reasons too,

Would I be wrong in assuming it's foreigners thar don't understand English signs and the basics of American transportation that end up like this? We have had a LOT of that problem at my company including them feeling entitled to acting ignorant even though they know they were either taking advantage of our property or just lying so they wouldn't get in trouble.

So he wiped out one pump and then tried to go around and missed that horribly and took out another and got himself hung up on the block.

I wouldn't want to explain to safety or I'm guessing in his case the insurance company.

I'm looking to get my CDL and my mom is worried about my criminal history. I have 3 possession of a controlled substance charges one of which I went to prison for 3 years ago on the 4th of next month. I also have a fleeing from police misdemeanor from the 4th of June 2021. I got out of prison 2 years ago in August and have been sober the whole time. As I am now coming up on being 3 years out from my charges I was hoping to go to school to get my CDL. I read a previous post from a few years ago where y'all were very blunt and honest and I am looking for that same response here. I've talked to a few people with their CDLs that have told me felonies wouldn't keep me from driving a truck but I wanted to get a response from a larger crowd who aren't here to spare my feelings. I'm very excited to have my life back and to be on such a good road in my recovery and I feel like this would be a big step in a career minded direction for me. I love driving alone and I pride myself on my abilities to back in and parallel park standard vehicles and would take that same pride into trucking. My best friend is also concerned that I'm not tall enough to drive a truck. I'm 4'11"? Would my height be an issue? I don't think it would be but figured y'all would be the ones to ask. Thanks for your time!

Here is a tough one for you, while my situation is different from yours, it is close enough and fraught with failures. I am an old a$$ man with an old a$$ criminal record. I been out of prison since 06, did 10 straight for manslaughter, I have worked non stop or been in college since then don't drink do drugs the whole nine yards of living the perfect life since going into prison. I started trying to get a CDL about 3 months ago, so far I am O-fer meaning no success and lots of tries, always the same answer after going through the application process. I keep getting hemmed up on the felony, I have not tried ALL companies yet and I am seeing there ARE ways even I can get into trucking just not right now under my circumstances and goal as a driver.

The big problem I have is my felony is Manslaughter and though it is 30 years old it is there and it is never going away, so perhaps I can get in with a small local company where I can go right to the people face time in person with them and get a job driving and do local or short haul stuff, which is not what I want I think in time I can do it, just not right now.

What I am saying is you will have a tough time of it right now PROBABLY, not for sure but PROBABLY. The reason I am saying things this way is because I have something else in common with you, that is a history of substance abuse and recovery, while I have 30 years in the bag sober it means nothing when it comes to hardship rejection and the other associated failures I have had since I decided to flip my life around and live with out substance abuse in it. It is the failures and rejections that are tests of your commitment to the change so do not be surprised if you are rejected time and again for jobs as a driver, it may be that your commitment to your sobriety is being tested, That is just an old drunk saying something that might be real might not be.

Sometimes we put a whole lot of our selves into a hope or a dream that can be as simple as getting a job. I am saying you might have to work hard at getting a driving job and fail a lot in the effort, but that don't mean it cant be done, just don't let it mess up the important thing, that is having a clear mind.

FYI all I have is a learners permit and an offer to go to a school, though no job offers. I am NOT a Trucker, just wish I was, and working at finding a way into it.

Michael, I feel the necessity to respond. I had a really hard time getting hired into this industry, and it was during a time when they would take just about anybody with a pulse.

I want to give you two things I learned from my experience.

First... I wouldn't waste the money and time to have your records expunged. Because I got sent home from several company orientations, I learned the trucking companies pay for extensive background checks. I personally witnessed people being sent home because they didn't report their expunged records. The transportation industry is dead serious about this. You will waste your money getting that stuff expunged. It can still be uncovered. They will find it. You are doing yourself a favor by sticking with your current approach.

Second... the time we are in is causing your struggle to be greater. If you can possibly get on with someone, then stay put. Establish yourself as productive, dependable, safe, and easy to work with. Those characteristics are critically important in this business. Today I can work anywhere I choose, and that's just what I'm doing. When I started, you simply wouldn't believe how much rejection I encountered.

I know this probably is discouraging, but it's straight talk from someone who has been there. You're going to have a really difficult time getting hired. There's just no getting around that. Expunged records is not a course of action that I see as helpful. Resilience and persistence are what kept me on course until I landed in pay-dirt.

Old School Yeah this is a hard one to swallow. I went looking and found that you are right and the lawyers are wrong, even if I got a pardon and had the records sealed the records would still be available for Trucking companies because of the Federalies noses being in the mix as well. I am going to see if they can get me off the Canadian list though, there is a program where I could still go into Canada regardless of my background, of course provided the Canooks decided enough time has gone by. Prime actually had a question which had I been able to say I could go to Canada I might have been looked upon in a more kindly light. ANNNYHOW, I will be taking your advice I just hope the Lawyers don't get ****ed off at me and charge me to much for getting them all excited about getting a job that would pay them well and net me nothing.

Rin B.

Michael, your post brings to mind the challenges highlighted in this article on criminal record bias in trucking: https://www.smart-trucking.com/criminal-record-bias/

It discusses how many qualified drivers are turned away due to past mistakes, even when they've demonstrably reformed. The industry is grappling with balancing safety and second chances.

Your insights on the limits of relying solely on data are valuable. Don't lose hope - some companies are starting to assess applicants individually rather than with blanket policies.

Your post was timely and helpful because I talked to a lawyer the other day and decided to try and get a Governors Pardon and get my records Expunged. Not so much because I deserve it but because have done literally everything in my power to make amends and get myself on a life course where I am not creating problems for others through my ignorance and personal problems. In short I don't blame the system, the people who created the root of my problems, nor even God. I just learned to accept reality as it is.

One of the things about reality I have found is that almost no one forgives, no one forgets and almost no one changes their own short comings especially if they are not drunks or druggies. We few actual alcoholics and drug addicts that manage to pull our selves out of the fire know things about pain guilt remorse that the intellectual elite (smarter than thou's) and the holier than thou religious do gooder's have ZERO clues about. And those are our judges. For 30 years I have been at this, and for 30 years I have managed to get by never really succeeding but surviving, learning how ignorant and foolish I was yesterday and trying to improve on it today so that maybe tomorrow wont suck azz.

I think I got off point here. The article you posted will help, has helped me to partially distil what I want to say to the Pardon board. I have never told myside of the story and did not even realize that until the lawyer said it to me and that this was the time to do so. Yeah I blew a dudes head off, nobody knew who done it, except me,(he wasn't a "good " guy). I told on myself 4 1/2 years after the fact, and the only thing I ever said when I plead guilty, was two azzholes met in the middle of the night and only one walked away. There is a lot more to telling on myself than that though. I had started my own rehabilitation before I ever decided to deal with my past actions and the "good" people made sure that part was not in the pleadings. I did not wish to make excuses or come up with some bull crap excuse, I just wanted to deal with the problem I had created for my self. So I did.

I have to spend a lot of money on a long shot, but I want to drive OTR long haul trucking only. What the Lawyer said is that if this works out and I get a pardon I literally don't have a criminal record and can legally say NO on those questions. I think that is the only way I can get into driving.

I called Western Express they will hire SAPs and give second chances to driving infractions, but the recruiter said they consider Manslaughter the same as murder and wont hire someone who has that on their record. I will be looking at May though, part of my problem is that I am in one of the great American dead zones. Wyoming is to far from everything to hire residents of said state. I am trying to do a work around on that, but as with criminal backgrounds the people making decisions want simple fill in the blank situations which don't really match reality. For instance why would it matter if my CDL is in Wyoming if I have no interest in home time and want to work OTR taking time off where ever I land at the time.

Sorry to hear that man. Have you tried Western Express or May trucking? I think you said you already tried CR England right?