Comments By Stickers

Hey Stickers. First of all, if you find a company that will give you a shot you should take it. It's going to be really slim pickins. If it's flatbed that's great but I don't think you're going to have the luxury of being picky.

Now what we recommend to people in your position is to apply like crazy for pre-hires before you commit to a driving school. Normally if you can get two or three pre-hires then you don't have to worry about finding a job once you graduate.

For those who are not familiar with the process, here is some great information on pre-hires:

• Article: Understanding Pre-Hire Letters: The What, Why, And How Of This Important Step
• Trucker's Wiki: "Pre-Hire Letters"
• Forum Topics Tagged "CDL Pre-Hire Letters"

Unfortunately there is no secret to landing a job in your position. What it's going to take is a lot of determination. Just keep cranking out applications to anyone and everyone, and follow up every one of them with phone calls. Don't wait on them to call you. Give them a day, maybe two, then start rifling off calls. You want to make sure they're actually processing your application and not just letting it sit on a pile collecting dust.

Now we have an excellent listing of truck driving jobs and we even have the option of applying to a ton of jobs with one application:

Truck Driving Job Listings

Crank out a ton of em.

To give you more ideas we have a listing of companies that hire drivers with felonies:

Trucking Companies That Hire Drivers With Felonies

I realize yours aren't felonies but it will give you an idea of which companies are a little more lenient.

Finally, you can try applying for Paid CDL Training Programs which are companies that provide the training for you, either through their own school or through a private school. If you get on with one of them you won't have to worry about finding a job afterward. But to be honest, I'm not sure any of them will take you. It's definitely worth a shot.

But take the approach that your full time job right now is to crank out applications and follow them up with phone calls. Go nuts. I'm confident from what you've told us that someone will give you a shot but it may not be the job you were looking for. That's just how it goes. Get your foot in the door and work your way up.

Thank you very much for the input! I have been lurking here for about a year now on and off again so I really appreciate the advice.

I have been finding about 1-2 companies to call per week. I usually call and talk with a recruiter before filling out an app to ensure I meet their requirements. The few that I have met said requirements told me to fill out an app AFTER I have started school. But my ultimate goal is get a pre-hire and have a job lined up before graduation.

I am pretty set on Flatbed. I know it lowers my chances of getting a job driving a truck but then again I don't drive anything else. I would rather have a 9-5 and be home every night rather than pull a van. just my .02

I have a back ground as big as Texas it's was hard for me but there is some who will give a rookie with no exp a chance just don't give up this August will be a year for me so I can do it with my back ground u can you just have to keep at it good luck

Roger that.

Well hell, you have to tell the whole story. Those tickets can be worse than the convictions.

I got three tickets in 2013 (10 & under) but 2 of which were in may so thats put me only 1 ticket in three years. Some of these places go back 5 + years. I have never had an at fault accident or OWI/DUI, etc.

Old School was successful with Western Express. Might also check out Jones Brothers.

I vaguely remember seeing somewhere that Western Express has a MVR expectation that goes beyond 3 years but I could be wrong, I got few too many speeding tickets a couple years ago. They seem to have a pretty good setup and I hear good things.

First off, I am not a driver, but am working towards that goal. Being open and honest is the best thing to do. Always tell the truth, but tell the best truth you can. Don't give up easy. Most companies state that they hire felons on a case by case basis.

That's pretty much been the plan, talked to Maverick the other day and they told me that even Felonies are case by case basis with them. I only have misdemeanors but my criminal history coupled with my work history will be the deciding factor for them when I apply.

I don't think it will be too much of a hindrance. Some companies may have a problem with the felony charge that was reduced to a misdemeanor, but you should be able to find employment somewhere if you're no longer on probation. Off the top of my head, flatbed companies you could try would include Swift, TMC, Prime, Knight, and Melton. I would apply to any company you are interested in, be completely honest and see what kind of results you get.

Luckily I was not charged with a felony, just charged and convicted of misdemeanors. I talked to Melton and their policy is all misdemeanors and felonies have to be older than 6 years. The more I look around I see more and more companies have similar policies. So far I am have been automatically DQ'd from Melton and System. I am unsure of where Keim TS is as I never heard back from them. I have not given TMC much thought as I worked for them as a mechanic and I quit because of an indifference with my direct supervisor there. Might give Decker a call next week though.

Anyone have any input?

Hey everyone,

I am about to start truck driving school here in a little over 2 weeks. I do not want to go on a massive tangent here so I will give a run down of my issue.

I have 2 assault charges in the State of Iowa (home) and they are within the last 3 years. The first charge being in 2013 and the second in 2014. These are both misdemeanor charges and I have a certified copy of criminal record for reference (they do not make it easy to read) My second charge was actually a charge for a domestic and was knocked down to an assault in court (it was BS charge and it didn't hold any weight). I did do two years of probation but that ended Dec of 2015. So I do not have any legal obligations, I have done my time, but I DO have the record.

I am not proud of any of this, my record is all BS if you ask me. But I did commit these crimes and I did my time and I usually bring it up and explain it to any potential employer so there is no confusion when the record check comes back to HR. I am a Veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom, have a solid resume, I am brutally honest, and I like to think I am stand up guy. But a lot companies have firm policies on not hiring people with "violent" records.

I will graduate truck driving school at the end of this coming July. I have been doing my research here and on other websites. I worked for TMC as a trailer mechanic for a year back 2013, and one of my parents is OTR.

I am looking for a companies that run flatbed or at least a flatbed division OTR. This would be my first company so they have to be willing to hire with no experience. I talked to Keim TS a few times and sent them my resume and app to try and get a pre-hire. They told me that openly disclosing my criminal record to them was a good thing and would further my chances with Keim. I Haven't heard back from them (was supposed to be contacted earlier this week). So its anyone's guess whats going on there.

I am getting some cold feet here because after looking at System Transports website their requirements state you cannot have a " unapproved misdemeanor or felony convictions within the last (6) years". I am sure companies and recruiters I talk to will be more ambitious about me after I graduate truck driving school but I am starting to wonder if I am going to just be wasting money on a CDL I can't use?

So in short, where can a guy with two misdemeanor assaults go to get started in flatbed?

I know all you guys recommend having a CB but I just don't get it.

I don't have one and I have no plans to get one either. I have no trouble at shippers or receivers. I get asked for a phone number way more often than I get asked if I have a CB.

I deal with enough stuff just doing my own job to listen to everyone else whine about theirs on the CB. And it seems like that's all there is anymore.

I listen to the weather band on the FM radio and hubby monitors Twitter and radar on my phone if we have weather concerns.

Just my opinion!

Even in a car I like to have one on long trips. I can find out where cops are sitting in the medians.

I can answer question #3

The simple matter is that they live below their means and they do it a little at a time. In other words, they know how to manage their money. Personal lifestyle is one where they do not have to impress anyone. What little extra they make goes towards the truck. If you were to do all these things at one time it would floor you about the cost but if you save up for a couple of years it is easier to swallow. These guys did not start out with all that fancy stuff. Another thing that a lot of them do is work on their own trucks, thus saving the cost of labor to maintain their rigs. The only thing it costs them is time and parts.

I can't say about the other questions because I have only ever worked for a mom and pop shop.

Thanks for the reply! I have been a fan of the "BigRigVideos" Channel on Youtube and most of the guys he interviews with show trucks are usually in route to a load or coming from one. From my Understanding a lot of those guys build glider kits so its more of a ground up style build of their trucks. rather than "add one piece at a time" kind of deal.

Hey everyone, first post.

I am about to go to Truck Driving School in less than a month. I am former Military where I did a lot of driving tractor trailers (even in places where things go boom on the highway) and I also spent many summers between school years when I was a teen going out on the road with my Mom who was at the time an O/O. I have spent the better part of my twenties after the Military pursuing other career paths such as Welding/Fabrication, Trailer Mechanic, and as of last year I am a certified Motorcycle Mechanic. I am more than ready for a change. Driving OTR has been something that I have been wanting to do for a very, very long time and I am finally at a point in my life where I can do it with no other obligations to being home everyday (and my MVR has cleaned up too).

I am Interested in going to the Flatbed side of the industry. I have done some research, talked to recruiters, and I even worked as a mechanic for one the "big" flatbed companies. Regardless of the knowledge I do have so far I am curious.....

1. What flatbed Companies (or companies with a flatbed/specialized division) get to all 48 on a normal basis? How about Canada as well? I would like to travel around rather than be regional if possible.

2. Are there companies that mostly use stepdecks or RGNs that would hire drivers right out of school? I am aware doing over sized/over dimension is not something rookie drivers do. I am asking because I would be interested in LTL and or hauling Military equipment.

3. And the last question I have, which is slightly off topic. How are the guys with the decked out show trucks making that kind of scratch being owner operators? This question applies to the guys who are pulling vans/ reefers/ flatbeds. I grew up with an o/o so having an understanding of truck payment, insurance, heavy road use tax, etc make me wonder how the guys with the stretched, slammed Pete's with a billion lights and matching trailer to boot can afford to have such beautiful trucks. Livestock and farm commodities don't apply to this question.

I will try to remain as active as possible on the forums here as progress through my career.

Sorry for the long post, cheers.