Begining The Process Of Becoming A Truck Driver.

It is possible to get hired with a manslaughter conviction. I tangentially know someone who drove for Navajo/Digby with a record like that.

This forum leans heavily on a few key factors, that have not been specifically separated out and emphasized in this thread.

1. Company Paid/Sponsored Training. This is especially important with a dented past. They are investing their money into you. They run pretty superficial background checks before you even arrive for orientation, where a deep dive is done. This step would weed you out of companies that your past doesn't fit their policies. Once you are through their training, you are most likely hired. (Again, very select circumstances could alter this.) Going to a school itself may work for some, in very specific circumstances. Yours is not one that I would roll the dice on. What happens when you get your CDL , but nobody will hire you? Right away, the clock starts ticking, and quickly you are in the "stale CDL" category, which is actually worse than "no CDL."

2. It doesn't matter whose name is on the door. Your success or failure in this industry is more often in your actions and predictability than the company itself. Obviously going to a larger financially stable company comes with way less risks.

3. Longevity. Plan on sticking with your first company for a year, at minimum. It takes that long to get your feet solidly under you, and a reasonable grasp of the job, and adjusting to the lifestyle.

I'm sure I'm forgetting a billion other nuanced things, but the bottom line is, don't waste your money on a school with little hope of a job on the other side.

No, even if you can swing it, do NOT pay for a private school. Their only goal is to get you your CDL. Some do have companies come in and talk with you, but there is no guarantee of any job from those places. The longer you do not get a CDL job, it becomes stale and you have to repeat the training over again at a company.

Laura

Okay thank you for your in put, and I got help in that specific area yesterday from Mountain West Truck driving School. I called to inquire and the man I talked to told me I would be better off trying out Swift or C.R. England. He had worked for England as a trainer for a year and a half AND had a felony record. I was SOOO impressed with his candor and help that I will promote for his school because he was NOT one of "those guys".

NaeNaeInNC

1. Company Paid/Sponsored Training. This is especially important with a dented past. They are investing their money into you. They run pretty superficial background checks before you even arrive for orientation, where a deep dive is done. This step would weed you out of companies that your past doesn't fit their policies. Once you are through their training, you are most likely hired. (Again, very select circumstances could alter this.) Going to a school itself may work for some, in very specific circumstances. Yours is not one that I would roll the dice on. What happens when you get your CDL , but nobody will hire you? Right away, the clock starts ticking, and quickly you are in the "stale CDL" category, which is actually worse than "no CDL."

With the input from the both of you and that being consistent with the trainer at Mountain west I have some confidence with what the recruiter at C.R.England said.

I talked at length with a recruiter from C.R.England yesterday and he said they now have a different driver program/school set up. The short version is their school is separate from the company costs 3500 and there is no commitment if you pay it up front which I could care less about my self, the important part was what he said about how they go about background checks and what not. Apparently they only go back 10 years, and I told him all the important negative crap about me right off the bat. He said it wasn't going to be a problem. Now was he lying? was he just trying to get me into the school or is he being incentivized to deceive me? I don't know. To me it is a possibility of course I don't really trust anyone very far, though I am want to believe that recruiters if they get paid get paid by the new truck driver rather than by the school attendees. He would know their system and the chances I would have of being hired I should think and I have to give him my info in order to get into the school, I cant just go there on my own.

Once I get the surgery done and that is next week, and have gone through the recovery time, I will take the plunge. I am doing the High Road 2.0 as we speak, just took a break to write this. I will go to Wyo DMV and take the CLP test and have my DOT physical done within 3 weeks. Then I am going to call the Recruiter back and get my marching orders. I already told him I still have a very good job and he said it takes 3 weeks or so before I get placed. We will see what happens. Kirk Out

NaeNae stated:

“1. Company Paid/Sponsored Training. This is especially important with a dented past. They are investing their money into you. They run pretty superficial background checks before you even arrive for orientation, where a deep dive is done”

Is this really the case? I thought the deep dive was done before bringing someone into orientation or training. Otherwise, a superficial background check might just bring someone unqualified in and then they get sent home right away, wasting time and money for everyone involved.

My belief has been that these companies have the resources and ability to do a very thorough check on an applicant before making a determination about hire-ability. I know this was the case for me when I applied to Helwig. I didn’t need to worry about them finding some hidden/disqualifing information about me after flying me in for orientation.

What’s the scoop on this?

Well I took the dive today and applied at 3 places out west here that will hire from Wyoming. C.R. England, Swift and Prime, because I paid my last months rent in this town, and decided it isn't worth it to work or live here any more. I am skeptical with the idea I will even get a call back, it really sucked writing down all that criminal history over and over again. The company I work for decided to play games with me and since I rent from them I sort of have to both move and quit at the same time.

I am busy doing the High road 2.0 damn that is a lot to try and remember. On Monday I am going to try and get a DOT med card and then I have to go all the way to Sheridan to get an unlaminated SSI card. I was hoping to avoid having to jump like this but well that is how it goes sometimes.

Michael, every journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. Good luck moving forward with this.

Just to throw an idea out here, while you are footloose and fancy free, I would be willing to discuss with you the possibility of doing a ride along with me on my truck. You could really learn a lot by being a passenger. If you are interested, you would have to email me so we could establish phone contact. Then we would have to discuss this to see if it would work. Bruce

Yeah Michael, I dunno what's the big deal of a laminated SS card really. I had mine since I was 12 years old, and laminated it to make it last. Getting into trucking I also had to get a new 1 plus have my name corrected. Was always called Steve,not Steven, and had that on my SS card, hence another reason I had to get a new card lol.....

Yet, here in the Phil's, when I traded my Calif license to a Filipino 1, they had all my ID's in hand, yet in the end they spelt my last name wrong, with 1 "L" not 2 duhhhh lol Also they gave me an "auto restriction" lol They didn't understand why my Calif lic, had auto restriction, no matter how much I tried to explain it, whatever.......Not like I drive daily, or get pulled over, they have NO traffic control/cops like the states.

Sounds like your journey's pickin' up steam, good luck !

Michael, every journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. Good luck moving forward with this.

Just to throw an idea out here, while you are footloose and fancy free, I would be willing to discuss with you the possibility of doing a ride along with me on my truck. You could really learn a lot by being a passenger. If you are interested, you would have to email me so we could establish phone contact. Then we would have to discuss this to see if it would work. Bruce

I definitely like the sound of that and while I am not quite "footloose and fancey free" yet, I will be fairly soon. I will be keeping my updates current. I got my med card yesterday, and the Swift Recruiter was on me to get the application done. It was very funny in an ironic way, I had to go through the process 3 or 4 times, and she walked me through it on the 3rd time I think it was. She was as puzzled as I was and she realized there was something wrong and it wasn't me being stupid. I think I have mentioned that computers and me are at war and they always win the first few engagements some times all of them. This time though I think I finally won. I am still not sure the application went through because I woke to an email that was much the same...finish the application. I did finish the application yesterday though and got all the signals from the computer indicating it surrendered to implacable stubbornness.

The story behind my decision to pull the trigger is fascinating, especially since I got my DOT med card yesterday. It is very involuted too. The short version is that they cancelled my surgery, sent me home with a light duty recommendation. The "good people"(read sarcasm here) said they don't want me to come back to work because they don't want to be responsible in case something goes wrong. What makes this soooo very interesting is apparently I cant go back to work without a doctors permission, which I got, yet it has to be apparently full capacity, and I had already told them after the surgery I would be on light duty for at least 4 weeks upon returning after a 2 week recovery period. I have 2 weeks of "vacation time" I was using to cover ME for the recovery time. THEY knew they were not going to let me come back to work even if the Dr. said I could but be on light duty They kept that part secret, and it would have cost me a hell of a lot. I am supposed to go talk to the two owners/bosses Monday so they can tell me what I already know they will say, ( I would bet on that), the other factor is they are also my landlords and I found out they are planning to raise the rent, and I am sure it will be in May and with a new lease agreement, they jacked my rent by 150 a year ago and I assume they will do that or more again. So in order to avoid that bind and the ensuing debt it will create should my suspicions prove true. I am trying to get myself in the wind so to speak and began the application process with companies that will hire out of Wyoming only 3 do that I have found.

So the program I have to undertake requires me to hang may ass out there in the wind with no seat. I have to go to Sheridan to get a NON laminated SSN card, that's a 3 hour drive one way and I will take care of that on Monday as well so hopefully it gets back to me before the end of April. I have to put the passport on hold, and a few other things I had in the pipeline. I should know soon if I have to abandon Wyoming and flee to Texas in order to be in a hiring area of the majority of companies. I don't have a lot of money saved and I just ****ed away 2k for something that didn't get done, but will probably still cost me even more. Things are not working out well at this point but I am 95% committed, Monday will probably make it 100%.

I have to go back to study of the High Road program so I can get the necessary prep for CLP before I depart if I have to before I am totally ready. I do have a plan B, a plan C, and D should all fall apart.

Have a good day BK I will keep you up to date.

Yeah Michael, I dunno what's the big deal of a laminated SS card really. I had mine since I was 12 years old, and laminated it to make it last. Getting into trucking I also had to get a new 1 plus have my name corrected. Was always called Steve,not Steven, and had that on my SS card, hence another reason I had to get a new card lol.....

Yet, here in the Phil's, when I traded my Calif license to a Filipino 1, they had all my ID's in hand, yet in the end they spelt my last name wrong, with 1 "L" not 2 duhhhh lol Also they gave me an "auto restriction" lol They didn't understand why my Calif lic, had auto restriction, no matter how much I tried to explain it, whatever.......Not like I drive daily, or get pulled over, they have NO traffic control/cops like the states.

Sounds like your journey's pickin' up steam, good luck !

It is strange in a way but not in another, government wants to keep on doing things, corporations respond with other things and the people have to deal with the out come.

Such is the world we now live in.

Hey Michael I saw your update a few days ago and just wanted to say best of luck. It might not be such a bad thing you’re going into this with your back against a wall. The first year is usually pretty tough for most people and I certainly was no exception. It’s not the driving itself that’s difficult as much as it is the culture shock and generally somewhat lower pay the first year while you’re learning the ropes. I gave myself no other option than to complete my first year at my first company (Swift) without jumping ship and that’s the only thing that really got me through. After that it got a lot easier. Oddly enough it’s the people who try to keep all their options open that usually end up washing out in the first few months and then coming back later and wanting to get back into trucking after their cdl went stale.

Please keep us posted on how things are going