Profile For ChrisEMT

I would contact Hire Right and request a coy of your report. You, as a driver, can get one free report a year.... It will list all your previous CDL employers, driving history, and any drug tests since you got your CDL permit. If you failed (or refused) a DOT drug or alcohol screen it will be in the report.... It will show any DOT reportable accidents as well. You can dispute any inaccurate info in the report as well, but be prepared to provide verifiable proof of anything you dispute... Most companies will get a report from hire right (or similar company) during the application process, so getting a report will be beneficial to you....

My suggestion would be to either go to a local school that offers a 160 hour course (most major carriers require this due to insurance reasons, AND they also offer tuition reimbursement over a certain length of time, do it will cost you nothing after your commitment) or, you can contact most major carriers that offer company paid training, and they will train you for free in exchange for a contracted term of employment. This latter will get you the training to get your CDL and at least your first year (full 12 months) minimum experience (time contract varies from company to company, but usually at least 12 or 13 months). A word of caution, if you leave before your contract is up, you more than likely will have to pay the company their cost to train you. After you finish your contract, you will have the 1 year minimum experience to go to another company, or if you stay with the company you contracted with, more proverbial doors will open for you for dedicated accounts and earnings potential.... you can look on this site for company sponsored training to see what is available and what the requirements are..... Brett (and the admins) have done a great job compiling the info and do their best to keep it updated......

While I have no direct personnel experience with being on probation or parole, I had a fellow student in my CDL class at school who I got to know relatively well and he confided in our class of 10 when we got to the training field that he was on probation, and he confided in me why he was on probation (all I feel comfortable saying is that it was a non-theft related felony). He said he contacted his parole officer and got the OK to get his class A CDL, since he was working within our state border,

I also got to know another driver who frequented the same truck stop I did near my my DC on my last account that was on Federal Probation for a federal level financial type charge (he didn't get into details, but none of my business).... Again, he got the OK from his probation officer and judge to get his CDL, and became an O/O, and bought his own truck.... He did share that his PO initially gave him strict requirements to follow (weekly check ins, GPS tracking in his truck that can be monitored by his PO, and a few other things), and as he showed that he was doing good with the requirements, his PO lessened some of the requirements.... He did well enough to buy a second (newer) truck last I knew, and should be near the end of his probation (if not finished).

So my point is, check with your PO and see if you get the OK.... If you do, be prepared to explain everything to the companies you apply to, and be prepare for some rejections or disqualification responses from at least some major carriers.... Also, I believe that there is a list of "second chance" companies here that will give you a chance..... Just be honest on your applications, and ask your PO for a letter to give companies with your applications that include your PO's phone number and email address, and expect the companies to contact your PO....

Also, if you are going to a private school that has a driver placement department, you can ask them for their recommendations for your situation....

Best wishes and good luck....

Hello Old J,

I am glad to see that you are looking at getting all of your endorsements when you go for your permit. I personally would wait on getting your HAZ-MAT endorsement until AFTER you get your CDL. As a former instructor at a school in CT, we always recommended this to our students. The reason being is that the inspector/state test proctor for your road test can, and most likely, test you on every endorsement you have on your permit. We had a student who had their HAZ-MAT endorsement on his test paperwork, and while on the way back, the inspector noticed it on the paperwork and brought the student out over a railroad crossing.... needless to say the student failed because they did not come to a complete stop at the required distance (white stop line) before the railroad crossing.... the student did the rest of the test perfectly up to and after that one sot on the test.

My suggestion, and it is only a suggestion, is to wait until you go and turn in your paperwork and get your CDL and then do the paperwork for your HAZ-MAT endorsement. You will also have enough on your proverbial plate learning how to handle a commercial vehicle, hours of service, etc...

Also, unless you are planning on strictly doing HAZ-MAT loads, or doing a majority of your loads as HAZ-MAT, it is not worth what most major carriers pay for HAZ-MAT loads (my former carrier paid about 5 yo 10 cents a mile while actually hauling HAZ-MAT loads) which barely covered the cost of the fees for the endorsement....

Also, if you want to get the endorsement, look for local companies hauling gas, propane, medical waste, or chemical companies like simonize.....

Hello John C,

Seeing that you are from the Boston area, I am guessing that I know which school you are gong to (NETTTS), since I went to, and also taught there after coming off the road so I could be home every day.... I am hoping that you signed up for the 22 week course (which I did so I could be a well educated new driver), because the Somers, CT campus had an extensive classroom portion as well as a similar hands on portion on the training pad.... I suggest that you take advantage of their placement office and get as much info from recruiters that visit your school.... And a lot of major (mega) carriers offer tuition reimbursement programs that will repay your tuition up to the cost of the course (to a max of $7-10k depending on the company) over a period of time (1-5 years). I suggest that you stay with your first company for at least 1 year, then more doors will open for you....

And as far as "mega-carriers" it is actually easier for them to get you home for your home time. Most companies will allow you to park the truck at a local truck stop, even under a load.... the only time most companies might have an issue is if the company considers it a "high value load" and they will require you to drop the load in an approved secure drop yard if your home time is for longer than 48 hours or they will set up a relay where you hand the load off to another driver and get paid for the miles you drove.... I know for Werner, it was a load valued at $500k or more....

I have a "silly" question. How was the question about failed drug question worded? Did it ask if you EVER failed a drug test (pre or post employment) or did it ask if you ever failed/refused a DOT required drug test? While I will NEVER recommend lying when answering questions on any application, I will recommend reading the question carefully and answering honestly.... that goes for answering the question about felonies. read the question carefully, they will ask if you were either ARRESTED or CONVICTED. And if it has been expunged or it has been removed from your record, you can answer no because it won't show up on MOST pre-employment background checks....

If, as a driver, you are only making $10/hr, you are working for the wrong company.... either your not being given loads that keeping you moving, your refusing loads, or your not hustling... Even on my slowest week running regional, I averaged $15/hr, and when I was on my dedicated accounts, the lowest I made was an average of $20/hour, and my highest was over $25/hour ($1100 for 42 hours)...

As far as sharing personal life details with a trainer, or anyone you work with, is IMHO something that you have to decide for yourself... I would suggest that you feel the person out before you share intimate personal details.... things like hobbies, sports, etc. are things I shared with my trainer until I got to know him better. once we got comfortable with each other, we shared more personal info about our lives with each other. as far as sharing things like that you are in an inter-racial relationship is something that I personally wait until I figured out what their views on it are. Most people don't care, mainly because people can't control who they fall in love with....

IMHO, I would wait AT LEAST 60 days before taking any type of drug test.... While "home test kits" are decent, they are not as sensitive as a DOT urine test, so a "negative" on a home test might put your mind at ease, a DOT test MAY still give a positive result. As far as hair tests, they can show anywhere from 60 days up to 180 days of any drug use, even just 1 or 2 joints, depending how much of a sample they take... And for people thinking about shaving all of the hair in hopes of not being able to provide a sample, they will get it from the "nether regions" (yes, I mean THOSE nether regions, use your imagination)..... and remember, refusing to provide a sample for a DOT drug test equals a "positive" result and will pretty much "black list" you from a CDL job until you jump through a bunch of hoops....