Seeking Career Change In Trucking

Topic 16066 | Page 1

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Dan S.'s Comment
member avatar

59 year old Retired United States Marine, currently working in in manufacturing as a team leader.

Looking for a new career. Trouble is? I caught a misdemeanor DUI five years. It'll be April 17, before I've got a good 5 Years behind me, what with the 90 day suspension and all.

So I've got 8 months, between now and then. My question. How do I get into the trucking field. I would like to go through one of the company's training schools without wasting my time, effort and energy ~ not to mention money.

I know I can (and will) take advantage of what's offered here. And, I can study for and obtain my CDL permit without too much problem in so far as test prep and testing. I've twenty years in the Marine Corps and four years of college in Business Administration ~ Finance.

Just probing with the preliminary questions, and seeking advice from those that have gone before. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

I live in the hometown of Wiley Sanders Truck Lines, trouble is that they're one of the companies that WON'T EVER hire you if you've ever had a DUI.

I've actually have some first cousins that inherited a small trucking companies (about 29 or so trucks) from my Uncle and Aunt. But I've not been in contact with them for years and years.

South of me, is AAA Cooper Truck Lines, to the East of me is Boyd Trucking, and also south of me (I'm in Alabama) is AMX.

Trouble is? That damned DUI ~ and the thing is? I wasn't even driving. Another one of those sitting in the car with the keys in the ignition deals. Wrong place at the wrong time, Other than that? I've got an expired tag charge ~ nothing moving, nor accidents, etc.

I'm really wanting and NEEDING to get out of this part of the country. Per the twenty years I did in the Marine Corps, having lived a Spartan lifestyle, yada~yada. Although married, I'm accustomed to being a lone, solitude, etc. Keeping myself entertained. Lord knows I've slept in worse places than in the back a truck.

Any advice and guidance would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks in advance!

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.

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.

HOS:

Hours Of Service

HOS refers to the logbook hours of service regulations.

DUI:

Driving Under the Influence

Susan D. 's Comment
member avatar

What you may want to do is search for trucking company's dui policies then match that to see if any have their own school.

Next, id consider a private school IF you can get prehires from companies that will hire people who have a dui thats 5 or less years old. You may have more options at post 7 and 10+ years.

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.

Prehires:

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

Cwc's Comment
member avatar

I think you'll be fine with five years down. Also with prior service looking into companies that lower the training costs and even pay more for prior service personnel would probably be worth your time. I

Brett Aquila's Comment
member avatar

Yeah, there really isn't any secrets we can give you to get the ball rolling. You just have to apply like crazy to all of the Company-Sponsored Training Program and see if someone will give you an opportunity.

As Sue mentioned, I would not pay to attend a private truck driving school unless you can get two or three pre-hires first. Here is a bunch of information on pre-hires and how they work:

But just apply like crazy to all of the company-sponsored programs first and see how that goes. Hopefully someone will give you a shot.

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.

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