DUI And Getting Your CDL?

i am 53 years old and amazingly have only one moving violation in my life. Never got a speeding ticket. I have no criminal record at all.

My violation was a DUI about 5 years ago. I won't go into all the reasons it happened because it probably doesn't matter to a recruiter.

What are my chances of being hired by a large reputable company like like Knight, Schneider or Swift? Am I screwed from being an OTR driver due to one mistake? I see guys with multiple felonies getting jobs and wondering if one night of bad judgement keeps me from the open road.

Good news and bad news for you. Bad news is DUI is a criminal offense, albeit a misdemeanor still goes on a criminal record. Luckily assuming it wasn't related to a accident which can be a felony. Good news is it most likely won't prevent you from getting your CDL and finding someone to work for. Most companies allow 1 DUI that must be at least 5 years or older. Might not get your first choice of companies but you still are in decent shape. Good luck

You are far from screwed. You are hire-able by most major OTR companies with 5 years removed from a single DUI. Some will take you at 3 years removed. More than 1 DUI would be another ball of wax. Granted, some companies have a zero tolerance policy, or require 10 years, but they are not the norm. As the other person posted, most require 5 years removed. You have a ton of companies that will still hire you.

Thank you for the insightful replies. It helps with my decision making. My DUI wasnt actually a moving violation. Kinda a funny story if it didn't end so poorly. I went to visit my brother back home but he had a gig playing harmonica out of town. He was supposed to leave a key under the mat so I could get into his house. It was the wrong key. I had met some old friends at a bar and had three pretty large glasses of wine and drove to my brothers. Made it home fine but the neighbor saw me struggling with the wrong key and thought I was a burglar. I called my brother and he said he would be home in 30 minutes to let me in. The cops arrived to check out the "burglar" which was me sitting in my truck in my brothers driveway. I explained what happened but they did a breathalyzer and I just hit the limit. My fault totally but I still laugh that I got a DUI in my brothers driveway. Never happen again.