Getting My CDL With DWI Covictions, Eyes Wide Open
Topic 6372 | Page 1
Briefly, the purpose of my post is to keep my eyes wide open before investing time, money and emotion to another "promising" career. So, I have studied for the the CDL written test and plan on testing this week. Once passed, I plan on paying $1,100 to a company to practice for the skills test and use their truck to pass the skills test.
I can't afford to have a "disappointment" after obtaining my CDL only to find out I can't get hired due to my DWI convictions. I have no moving violations and/or accidents in the last 18 years, however, i have 3 DWI convictions: 2005, 2006, 2010. In Texas, the 3rd DWI is an automatic Felony with no deferred adjudication (unlike any felony drug charge, go figure) So I have a felony. My 5 yr. probation ends in November 2015, and I have no restrictions on my license.
Am I wasting my time obtaining my CDL? Would a company hire me?
Thanks
Can't say for sure but what you can do is check out all the company sponsored schools on this website and see if they would hire you it don't hurt to ask.... You would want to get your cdl from some sort of school weather its a private (tech school) or from one of the company sponsored schools like swift because you have to have a certain amount of hours for training in order for a company to hire you..... Sorry if this doesn't help you and good luck with your search
CDL:
Commercial Driver's License (CDL)
A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles:
- Any combination of vehicles with a gross combined weight rating (GCWR) of 26,001 or more pounds, providing the gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of the vehicle being towed is in excess of 10,000 pounds.
- Any single vehicle with a GVWR of 26,001 or more pounds, or any such vehicle towing another not in excess of 10,000 pounds.
- Any vehicle, regardless of size, designed to transport 16 or more persons, including the driver.
- Any vehicle required by federal regulations to be placarded while transporting hazardous materials.
SAP:
Substance Abuse Professional
The Substance Abuse Professional (SAP) is a person who evaluates employees who have violated a DOT drug and alcohol program regulation and makes recommendations concerning education, treatment, follow-up testing, and aftercare.
DWI:
Driving While Intoxicated
I am sorry to say you have a long road ahead of you. Depending on the state you may not be eligible for a CDL. DWI and DUI s are considered moving violations in all states that I am aware of. Since 2005 laws on such offences have tightened CDL guidelines across the nation. I woujd check with your DMV to see if you are eligible first. If and after you obtain your CDL you will have an upward battle to find a company that can hire you. You may not be insurable by their carriers, some larger companies are self insured but have bonds that cover their self insurance and again they may not be able to bond you.
In the State of Florida DUI/DWI stay on your record up to 75 years. So my advice is to talk to DMV first then try to get prehired by submitting applications to as many trucking companies as you can. You can submit some via this websight. If you can get 2 or 3 to prehire you then and only then would I try to obtain your CDL. Good Luck Brian
CDL:
Commercial Driver's License (CDL)
A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles:
- Any combination of vehicles with a gross combined weight rating (GCWR) of 26,001 or more pounds, providing the gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of the vehicle being towed is in excess of 10,000 pounds.
- Any single vehicle with a GVWR of 26,001 or more pounds, or any such vehicle towing another not in excess of 10,000 pounds.
- Any vehicle, regardless of size, designed to transport 16 or more persons, including the driver.
- Any vehicle required by federal regulations to be placarded while transporting hazardous materials.
BMI:
Body mass index (BMI)
BMI is a formula that uses weight and height to estimate body fat. For most people, BMI provides a reasonable estimate of body fat. The BMI's biggest weakness is that it doesn't consider individual factors such as bone or muscle mass. BMI may:
- Underestimate body fat for older adults or other people with low muscle mass
- Overestimate body fat for people who are very muscular and physically fit
It's quite common, especially for men, to fall into the "overweight" category if you happen to be stronger than average. If you're pretty strong but in good shape then pay no attention.
Dm:
Dispatcher, Fleet Manager, Driver Manager
The primary person a driver communicates with at his/her company. A dispatcher can play many roles, depending on the company's structure. Dispatchers may assign freight, file requests for home time, relay messages between the driver and management, inform customer service of any delays, change appointment times, and report information to the load planners.DMV:
Department of Motor Vehicles, Bureau of Motor Vehicles
The state agency that handles everything related to your driver's licences, including testing, issuance, transfers, and revocation.
Prehire:
What Exactly Is A Pre-Hire Letter?
Pre-hire letters are acceptance letters from trucking companies to students, or even potential students, to verify placement. The trucking companies are saying in writing that the student, or potential student, appears to meet the company's minimum hiring requirements and is welcome to attend their orientation at the company’s expense once he or she graduates from truck driving school and has their CDL in hand.
We have an excellent article that will help you Understand The Pre-Hire Process.
A Pre-Hire Letter Is Not A Guarantee Of Employment
The people that receive a pre-hire letter are people who meet the company's minimum hiring requirements, but it is not an employment contract. It is an invitation to orientation, and the orientation itself is a prerequisite to employment.
During the orientation you will get a physical, drug screen, and background check done. These and other qualifications must be met before someone in orientation is officially hired.
DUI:
Driving Under the Influence
DWI:
Driving While Intoxicated
Once passed, I plan on paying $1,100 to a company to practice for the skills test and use their truck to pass the skills test.
Welcome, TS!
You've got a big enough hurdle to get over with the DUI problems, don't make it worse by taking a short cut to getting your license. If you think it will be tough to get hired with the DUI's, wait until you try to get hired without having a training certificate that shows you have had at least 160 hours of training. This is what a proper truck driving school will issue you when you have successfully completed their course. Most trucking companies are required to have this certificate on file for you to be able to get on their insurance policy. If they can't include you on their policy, there is no way they are going to hire you.
I am going to be very honest with you - the DUI convictions are going to be tough to get around. One of the main things that trucking companies are concerned with is that you can show a past willingness to protect your license. One DUI many years ago shows that you got the message and started taking care of your business - multiple convictions, while knowing that it would soon become a felony is usually not acceptable to most of them.
I don't think you are going to get any of the Company-Sponsored Training programs to accept you, which probably means you will need to attend a private school. Here's how you need to go about this. The trucking industry has a process in place where they will let you know if they can hire you before you waste your time on schooling only to find out you have too many strikes against you already. It's called the pre-hire process. You need to apply like crazy to as many trucking companies as you can so that you can see if you can get a few pre-hire letters. Check out this article on Understanding Pre-Hires so that you will understand how this works.
Go to: Apply For Truck Driving Jobs, and you can apply to many different companies by only filling out one application.
You don't have to have a CDL to apply. People do this all the time - it is a unique process to this industry to help people decide if they should pursue it further or not.
CDL:
Commercial Driver's License (CDL)
A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles:
- Any combination of vehicles with a gross combined weight rating (GCWR) of 26,001 or more pounds, providing the gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of the vehicle being towed is in excess of 10,000 pounds.
- Any single vehicle with a GVWR of 26,001 or more pounds, or any such vehicle towing another not in excess of 10,000 pounds.
- Any vehicle, regardless of size, designed to transport 16 or more persons, including the driver.
- Any vehicle required by federal regulations to be placarded while transporting hazardous materials.
Pre-hire:
What Exactly Is A Pre-Hire Letter?
Pre-hire letters are acceptance letters from trucking companies to students, or even potential students, to verify placement. The trucking companies are saying in writing that the student, or potential student, appears to meet the company's minimum hiring requirements and is welcome to attend their orientation at the company’s expense once he or she graduates from truck driving school and has their CDL in hand.
We have an excellent article that will help you Understand The Pre-Hire Process.
A Pre-Hire Letter Is Not A Guarantee Of Employment
The people that receive a pre-hire letter are people who meet the company's minimum hiring requirements, but it is not an employment contract. It is an invitation to orientation, and the orientation itself is a prerequisite to employment.
During the orientation you will get a physical, drug screen, and background check done. These and other qualifications must be met before someone in orientation is officially hired.
Pre-hires:
What Exactly Is A Pre-Hire Letter?
Pre-hire letters are acceptance letters from trucking companies to students, or even potential students, to verify placement. The trucking companies are saying in writing that the student, or potential student, appears to meet the company's minimum hiring requirements and is welcome to attend their orientation at the company’s expense once he or she graduates from truck driving school and has their CDL in hand.
We have an excellent article that will help you Understand The Pre-Hire Process.
A Pre-Hire Letter Is Not A Guarantee Of Employment
The people that receive a pre-hire letter are people who meet the company's minimum hiring requirements, but it is not an employment contract. It is an invitation to orientation, and the orientation itself is a prerequisite to employment.
During the orientation you will get a physical, drug screen, and background check done. These and other qualifications must be met before someone in orientation is officially hired.
Company-sponsored Training:
A Company-Sponsored Training Program is a school that is owned and operated by a trucking company.
The schooling often requires little or no money up front. Instead of paying up-front tuition you will sign an agreement to work for the company for a specified amount of time after graduation, usually around a year, at a slightly lower rate of pay in order to pay for the training.
If you choose to quit working for the company before your year is up, they will normally require you to pay back a prorated amount of money for the schooling. The amount you pay back will be comparable to what you would have paid if you went to an independently owned school.
Company-sponsored training can be an excellent way to get your career underway if you can't afford the tuition up front for private schooling.
DUI:
Driving Under the Influence
OWI:
Operating While Intoxicated
You know when I worked last with a Los Angeles DUI attorney I overheard a conversation of him with some client of his where he mentioned that he could get his name removed from the records. Not sure how he does it or if it can be done in your case too.
DUI:
Driving Under the Influence
1 DUI is certainly doable, typically after a wait period of 3-5 years. But 3? I wish the best for you. Besides the probation potentially being an issue, I'm not sure if most companies would accept 2 or more DUIs. If I were you, I would start calling some carriers and ask. Of course, you'll need to be straight and up front with them. See what they say. As I mentioned, the wait time is typically 3-5 years removed from a DUI conviction till a company will deem you as hire-able, but I don't know if companies will even accept you with multiple DUIs, especially 3. You might be limited to a mom and pop operation, or perhaps driving jobs like construction (dump truck) or garbage truck.
Start making some phone calls to companies. And don't spend any money on getting your license till you have some promising job opportunities. Definitely listen to Old School's advice. Most companies will want to see 160 hours or more through a driving school, be it a private school or community college. THis typically applies to the mega truckload carriers, but honestly, I"m not sure how many will hire you with 3 DUIs. Call CR England to start, they're usually pretty lenient with criminal records and driving history issues.
DUI:
Driving Under the Influence
New Reply:
New! Check out our help videos for a better understanding of our forum features
Preview:
Why Join Trucking Truth?
- The High Road Training Program
- The High Road Article Series
- The Friendliest Trucker's Forum Ever!
- Email Updates When New Articles Are Posted
Apply For Paid CDL Training Through TruckingTruth
Did you know you can fill out one quick form here on TruckingTruth and apply to several companies at once for paid CDL training? Seriously! The application only takes one minute. You will speak with recruiters today. There is no obligation whatsoever. Learn more and apply here:
TT On Facebook
Briefly, the purpose of my post is to keep my eyes wide open before investing time, money and emotion to another "promising" career. So, I have studied for the the CDL written test and plan on testing this week. Once passed, I plan on paying $1,100 to a company to practice for the skills test and use their truck to pass the skills test.
I can't afford to have a "disappointment" after obtaining my CDL only to find out I can't get hired due to my DWI convictions. I have no moving violations and/or accidents in the last 18 years, however, i have 3 DWI convictions: 2005, 2006, 2010. In Texas, the 3rd DWI is an automatic Felony with no deferred adjudication (unlike any felony drug charge, go figure) So I have a felony. My 5 yr. probation ends in November 2015, and I have no restrictions on my license.
Am I wasting my time obtaining my CDL? Would a company hire me?
Thanks
CDL:
Commercial Driver's License (CDL)
A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles:
SAP:
Substance Abuse Professional
The Substance Abuse Professional (SAP) is a person who evaluates employees who have violated a DOT drug and alcohol program regulation and makes recommendations concerning education, treatment, follow-up testing, and aftercare.
DWI:
Driving While Intoxicated