Which Companies Will Hire A Rookie Driver With A Drug Felony That's 30 Years Old?

In 1984 I was convicted of possession of 1 gram of cocaine. Since I would not snitch on my friends I did a year in Community Corrections after sitting in jail for 3 months. I do not mess with drugs now and can pass a test anyday, anytime. How can I get a company to look at me and give me a chance? I have my CDL class A with endorsements for tankers & doubles/triples. I know I will be a great driver if I can just get in the door somewhere and get started.

In 1984 I was convicted of possession of 1 gram of cocaine. Since I would not snitch on my friends I did a year in Community Corrections after sitting in jail for 3 months. I do not mess with drugs now and can pass a test anyday, anytime. How can I get a company to look at me and give me a chance? I have my CDL class A with endorsements for tankers & doubles/triples. I know I will be a great driver if I can just get in the door somewhere and get started.

Call em all and ask them. Its an old issue.

If it is 30 years old, then with MANY companies it shouldn't be an issue. Some don't allow any felonies, others five years, and others 10 years.

Dave

I have been calling & asking; putting in app's left & right but as soon as they find out I have a felony it's game over. I thought getting a CDL would change things for me but I'm starting to think it was just a big waste of time. There must be some people out there that have gone through this before me. Where should I be looking? What am I doing wrong? I can't lie about it or it will just come back to haunt me later. I need to get working so I can take care of my family.

Just keep at it. Apply to every single company you can find.

I can't remember where I saw the thread on here, but read all you can, there are a few companies mentioned that are hiring all kinds of drivers, even ones with felonies. I think I read something about lumber yards? Read all the blogs you can, there is a ton of info on here.

Bumper, you'll get your chance. You just have to find the right company.

Now I do have one question - did you go through a legitimate truck driving school whose students get hired by major carriers? The reason I ask is most companies will not hire someone unless they've had legitimate training. Some people get their license by practicing with rented trucks or paying a friend to work with them. Companies generally won't hire people who took that path. So I want to make sure there aren't other obstacles in your path.

But that charge is really, really old. There are companies that will give you a shot.

We have a feature where you can Apply For Truck Driving Jobs With One Application. If you haven't already, go use that system. Pick pretty much every company you see on the list and then fill out the app. Some of them require experience so the application won't go to those. But it will go to all of the companies that do not require experience. It will tell you which companies received your application. Wait a day or two and start calling all of em. Don't wait for them to call you. Be persistent. Show em you're really interested.

But that's all you can do. Just keep applying like crazy everywhere you can. Go to Craigslist. Go to the local newspaper. Look everywhere, apply everywhere, and be very persistent. If that one charge is the only blemish on your record and you've gone through a legitimate school then you'll get your chance. Now is the busiest time of the year for hiring so you also have that on your side. So keep at it.

In 1984 I was convicted of possession of 1 gram of cocaine. Since I would not snitch on my friends I did a year in Community Corrections after sitting in jail for 3 months. I do not mess with drugs now and can pass a test anyday, anytime. How can I get a company to look at me and give me a chance? I have my CDL class A with endorsements for tankers & doubles/triples. I know I will be a great driver if I can just get in the door somewhere and get started.

Something does not add up here. The reason I say that is I have a criminal felony background and it has not been a problem with me finding a job and mine was only 15 years ago. If you got your CDL on you own without going through a real school then no you will not find a company that will touch you.

Now if you went through an accredited school that was 160 to 300 hours long then just apply everywhere you can and not just at the companies that you want.

Yes, I went through a legitimate school. It was Springs Truck Driving School which is a 160+ hour class which is 100% "in the truck" since they don't have a classroom. I'm very happy with the way they teach and I learned more than I ever thought I would. Thanks for the input everyone, I will keep plugging away, waiting for the one lucky company to finally say yes. I say lucky them because I know I will be an excellent driver once I get started and I do not want to jump from one company to another; I am looking for long term employment. Keep your ears open for me and comment here if you have any other input.

Bumper, try CR England and CRST. They seem to have very lenient hiring standards from my experiences. I know a friend who got hired by England and he had a felony.