Past Mistakes, Should I Move Forward And Get My CDL A?

i disagree with brett.

You do? Cuz it sounds like you agree.

Im sorry, but you just changed your story. That reckless driving charge just became a "evading police in a stolen vehicle felony". WHAT???

you didnt know you had a felony? You dont think evading police in a stolen vehicle is a big deal????

i disagree with brett. i dont think you have any clue whatsoever how bad your record is going to look to others. Hes right about your last response..nothing is your fault. The classes cost money, the uncle called the cops, the boyfriend was violent....nowhere is anything your fault. the one time you do admit something is your fault was the 21mph speeding ticket and you shrug that as a mistake. no, that was an intentional, deliberate act to disobey the law.

get past the "im a victim" mentality.

take a look at some articles

Truckers and Responsibilty

Trucker Decision Making and Judgement

Thank you all I came here to ask with past mistakes on my record should I pursue earning my CDL . I appreciate the feedback of applying to paid training jobs to see if I can get Hired. As For the other responses, You just judge . I tried to explain myself and you criticized. I am not trying to get into trucking because I am broke or hard up. I currently have a kushie desk job with a company that gives you 140 pto hours a year I am make 15+ an hr + bonuses . I am looking at trucking as a potential life changing job i could retire with because it intrests me and i would enjoy the alone time out on the road. I wanted to go to FVTC and get the appropriate training to be a good safe driver. And just needed to know if this was still possible with a record like mine. I have read through different posts and did not expect to be criticized like this maybe you are having a bad day or maybe you think its your responsibility to push away people when they reach out and you, dont see them fit. I hope you enjoyed yourself.

I have read through different posts and did not expect to be criticized like this maybe you are having a bad day or maybe you think its your responsibility to push away people when they reach out and you, dont see them fit. I hope you enjoyed yourself.

Wow, Ashley. I'm gonna be brutally honest again. You are really immature and childish.

With your record you didn't expect criticism? What exactly do you think you deserve? Compliments? Commendations? Congratulations? Are you impressed with your life to this point? God I hope not.

It is indeed our responsibility to push people away from trucking if we don't feel like they belong there, and we do not feel you belong there at this time. A desk job is exactly the right position for you until you can prove consistently over a period of time that you're ready for the type of responsibility where you are making life and death decisions for innocent people. You may think you're ready for something like that, but you also think that a long and quite honestly horrendous history of poor behavior and terrible judgment isn't your fault.

I sincerely wish you the best and maybe someday you'll be ready to step up to a higher level of responsibility, but that is something you have to earn by proving yourself at lower levels first. You haven't done that yet. But I certainly hope you will.

I do not think any company will touch you for at least 10 years with the felony evading on your record. In addition to reckless driving and what ever else is on there. They for obvious reasons take vehicular related crimes pretty seriously, so quite frankly I think you maybe out of gas for awhile if not permanently. Best you can do is stay out of trouble, get no tickets at all and try again in a few years.

Ashley I have refrained from commenting, but can no longer remain silent...

One of the themes constantly reinforced is to “get your head on straight” before attempting this and committing to it. In school it was stated throughout the first couple of days and precipitated two early departures.

Based on everything I have read about you; your propensity for poor judgement; emotional/irrational responses and thinking is going to be greatly exposed during school and be highly detrimental to your chance for success. Call it judgmental, call it whatever you want, but you MUST get your head on straight before committing to this. And come to terms with the brevity of the poor judgement you exhibited in your recent past and completely understand the root cause of it. Face your demons and deal with them. Otherwise, to be brutally blunt, your behavior can potentially kill you and others.

This career is so greatly misunderstood by most people who think they want to get into it. Just recently we've had a person who can't conceive why their medical information should be known by their employer, we've oftentimes had people like Ashley with serious criminal records who don't understand why that should hold them back, we've even had folks who don't understand why their poor driving record should be held against them.

Our industry has suffered for years from a poor image. Professional drivers are often viewed as a bunch of uneducated hardworking redneck hillbillies who can't get a better job, and that has contributed to the idea that just about anybody should be able to become a truck driver. Then there's all this confusion about the big demand for drivers which just compounds the notion that everybody will be welcomed with open arms.

Contrary to what was implied in this conversation, we don't judge people here. In fact you'll not find another more accommodating trucking forum anywhere. We do our best here to help people. We don't care about ethnicity, education, gender, or any other hot button issues that might arise. We are honest and truthful though. Recent criminal backgrounds are a hindrance to entry into the transportation career, and even more of an issue is not recognizing our own responsibility for our criminal record.

I'm really not addressing Ashley in particular here, but more as a general statement for others reading along in this discussion. Being able or willing to admit, "Hey, I've made some big mistakes, here's how I plan to improve myself" goes a long way in this business. A truck driver is a very independent employee. We are pretty much left to be on our own, yet we are trusted with a tremendous amount of responsibility and we must prove to be reliable under all kinds of stress. Accountability is extremely high on the list of characteristics that contribute to success in this career. Whenever we see someone continually laying blame for their issues onto others we see big red flags, just like the employers will.

Some great advice was given to Ashley, but so far she's taken offense with most of it. I'm not sure what else we can do. There is a tremendous amount of responsibility entrusted to our nation's professional drivers. That level of responsibility is not given without thorough consideration of how we've conducted ourselves in the last five to ten years. Unfortunately people don't just usually wake up on Monday morning and decide they want to be a saint after they spent the entire weekend in hardcore sin. That's why recent felony convictions and DUI's are a huge hindrance for those who want to give this career a shot.

There is hope for Ashley, but she has to take the time to prove that her past record doesn't define her. The first step for that is usually taken by admitting our faults, accepting the reality of our shortcomings, and acknowledging our irresponsible actions. We can all improve ourselves and we can put a tarnished past behind us. There are plenty of people who've done such things; we even have seen many of them right here in our forum. Frankly, they are sometimes quite inspirational. We've seen and helped people who were destitute and homeless, people with DUI's, and even sex offenders. Each of them got their issues behind them and produced a track record that indicated they had what it takes. That takes time and Commitment.

i disagree with brett.

You do? Cuz it sounds like you agree.

lol the part where you said she knows she is wrong. i dont think she does. sorry

I'm an old man, had it took me a really long time to come to grips with a new way of doing things. Ashley, you say you've made some mistakes , and have come to grips with that. I will take that statement as face value, because I suspect you are from a generation which seriouly believes in a more conciliatory and gentle method of discussion.

Many of us here are older school than that, where bluntness is seen as a positive character trait. That said, I don't think anyone on here reach the level of vitriol that you will hear on the CB at any given time.

A felony fleeing and eluding police is, in my opinion, as bad as a DUI on your record. When you combine that with the stolen motor vehicle components, I don't know that many companies will consider taking a chance on your employment, for a very long time.

The advice given here, to look at schools that are paid for by the trucking companies, is sound. You can speak directly to a recruiter, and get a definitive answer on your acceptability to that particular company.

Good luck to you, they are mistakes, and learning from them and moving forward is important. You may be qualified for hire by a company, but certainly don't spend your personal funds taking a chance, $3,500 is a lot of money

Peace.

Ashley, whether you think things are your fault or not, whether 'we' are being fair or not, your past and the records associated with it are what they are.

I would be fearful of seeing you in the lane next to me in a small 4-door sedan based on what you have posted. I can't imagine seeing you in an 80,000# truck doing a speed governed ~60MPH. Fair or not, your record is what it is.

Now, what employer is going to risk an expensive truck and potential lawsuits for you to pursue a career that takes you away from a good stable 'desk job'? A good paying 'boring' desk job would be something many of us would appreciate after being away from friends and family for major chunks of our and their lives.

I wish you the best in getting your life on a better path but, seriously question whether a career in the cab of a truck is a step in the right direction.

This career is so greatly misunderstood by most people who think they want to get into it. Just recently we've had a person who can't conceive why their medical information should be known by their employer, we've oftentimes had people like Ashley with serious criminal records who don't understand why that should hold them back, we've even had folks who don't understand why their poor driving record should be held against them.

Our industry has suffered for years from a poor image. Professional drivers are often viewed as a bunch of uneducated hardworking redneck hillbillies who can't get a better job, and that has contributed to the idea that just about anybody should be able to become a truck driver. Then there's all this confusion about the big demand for drivers which just compounds the notion that everybody will be welcomed with open arms.

Contrary to what was implied in this conversation, we don't judge people here. In fact you'll not find another more accommodating trucking forum anywhere. We do our best here to help people. We don't care about ethnicity, education, gender, or any other hot button issues that might arise. We are honest and truthful though. Recent criminal backgrounds are a hindrance to entry into the transportation career, and even more of an issue is not recognizing our own responsibility for our criminal record.

I'm really not addressing Ashley in particular here, but more as a general statement for others reading along in this discussion. Being able or willing to admit, "Hey, I've made some big mistakes, here's how I plan to improve myself" goes a long way in this business. A truck driver is a very independent employee. We are pretty much left to be on our own, yet we are trusted with a tremendous amount of responsibility and we must prove to be reliable under all kinds of stress. Accountability is extremely high on the list of characteristics that contribute to success in this career. Whenever we see someone continually laying blame for their issues onto others we see big red flags, just like the employers will.

Some great advice was given to Ashley, but so far she's taken offense with most of it. I'm not sure what else we can do. There is a tremendous amount of responsibility entrusted to our nation's professional drivers. That level of responsibility is not given without thorough consideration of how we've conducted ourselves in the last five to ten years. Unfortunately people don't just usually wake up on Monday morning and decide they want to be a saint after they spent the entire weekend in hardcore sin. That's why recent felony convictions and DUI's are a huge hindrance for those who want to give this career a shot.

There is hope for Ashley, but she has to take the time to prove that her past record doesn't define her. The first step for that is usually taken by admitting our faults, accepting the reality of our shortcomings, and acknowledging our irresponsible actions. We can all improve ourselves and we can put a tarnished past behind us. There are plenty of people who've done such things; we even have seen many of them right here in our forum. Frankly, they are sometimes quite inspirational. We've seen and helped people who were destitute and homeless, people with DUI's, and even sex offenders. Each of them got their issues behind them and produced a track record that indicated they had what it takes. That takes time and Commitment.

Good morning,

Thank you for your comment. I have had time to think about all responses and after talking with some recruiters I would be able to start in 2021 BUT I fill that rushing wouldn't be the best idea . I have come to terms that waiting 5 years would not only give me time enough to get the placement I would prefer but would give me time to work on myself, be sure it is the commitment I want to make and know if I am ready . I was offended at first but not now you all slowed me down and i appreciate it. Thank You