Comments By MaddMatt

I spoke to someone at western express and the recruiter said as long as I had no felony's or DUI's the tickets would not be a problem, but they do not have a school. They do have a tuition reimbursement program up to $6,000 if you attend private a school.

I am really worried about going through private school and then finding out that the recruiter was full of B.S. and not be able to find a job.

Check with Swift and Western Express if you have not done so. However you may be forced to wait until the last ticket is at least three years old. Oh and slow down ;)

Thanks, I called a recruiter at swift and he said it should not be a problem so I applied there and at western. We'll see what happens!

And I have slowed down, these two tickets were part of a learning curve I went through after getting a motorcycle, it's so easy to go fast! I know that there is no excuse for it but I did learn my lesson and I do drive much slower now, my insurance co and my wife gave me enough of a beating to keep me slowed down.

I have called a few company sponsored driving schools today and they have all told me I would not qualify because of my speeding tickets, one in April 2013 for 20 mph over and one Aug 2012 for 15 mph over. Is there anything I can do to get CDL training and a job with this record or should I give up now and start looking at other job opportunities?

I'm hoping there is someone out there that is willing to take a chance on me, I am a hard working dedicated employee that is ready to learn!

What really sucks about one of the tickets I got was the road I was on was a new 4 lane divided hwy that they posted at 45 mph, it has now been changed to 55 mph. So I got busted doing 60 in a 45. It should have been 55 the whole time, then I would have only been 5 over. Oh well, too late now. I also got both tickets on my motorcycle shortly after getting my MC license. It's so easy to speed on a motorcycle, especially when it's a new toy. I did learn my lesson after my wife and the insurance company punished me.

So it's only the last 3 years they look at? I'll have to check to see how old these tickets are, one of them should almost be 3 years old.

A lot will depend on how much over the limit you were going. More than 15 mph over the limit is considered reckless driving and most major companies don't want any reckless driving within the past 5 years. But like Guyjax mentioned, most companies will accept two minor moving violations within the past 3 years.

So as long as they weren't reckless driving, you should be fine.

What you can do to insure you'll find work after getting your CDL is to apply for pre-hires. For anyone not familiar with the process we have an excellent article that will help you Understand Pre-Hires.

Basically, before you ever even commit to any schooling you apply for jobs with trucking companies and they'll let you know whether or not you qualify to work there upon graduating from a legitimate school and getting your CDL. If you can get two or three pre-hires then you know you'll have no problem finding work. They're not a guarantee of employment...sometimes they fall through. That's why you want the assurance of getting two or three of em.

You can use our Truck Driving Job Listings. You can even Apply For Truck Driving Jobs With One Application which really speeds up the process dramatically>

One ticket was 15 mph over and the other is 20mph over.

Thanks for all of the advice guys.

Thanks Gary. I sure hope my LEAD foot didn't screw me over here.

And about the home time, I don't really need a lot of it, just at the right time. I love my little girl and don't get to see her much as it is now seeing as it is over an hours drive and my custody is so limited.

Hi everyone! I am getting laid off from my job in August and it may be time for a new career.

My first concern is that I have 2 speeding tickets within the last 2 years. I do not have any accidents within the last 10 years or so but I was wondering if that would make it difficult finding a job or getting my CDL?

My other problem is my 6 y/o daughter. I have custody of her every other weekend and do not want to forfeit the little time we have together, and my ex-wife is crazy and hates me so I don't think she would work around any new schedule. My wife could continue to pick her up on my weekends but I hate to put that on her, plus it's a 60 mile drive each way. How hard is it finding a company that will dispatch you on a schedule like that, or maybe a regional gig that has you home on a regular basis?

thanks Matt