Failed Drug Test; Bad Background; Kicked Out Of Army

Hello,

I want to drive a truck.

I was kicked out of the Army September of 2010 due to my own bad choices. My DD214 (discharge paper) reads: General Under Honorable Conditions; Misconduct (Drug Abuse).

While I was still in the Army, living in Texas, between the years of 2008-09, I was arrested for assault. I plead guilty under the plea deal "Deferred Adjudication". I did a year probation successfully and I wasn't convicted of the misdemeanor. Again, later in the Army, I failed the drug test for marijuana, got kicked out.

Out of the Army, somewhere in the years of 2011-12, I get pulled over and arrested for possession of marijuana. Again, I plead guilty under the plea deal "Deferred Adjudication". I completed a year probation successfully and wasn't convicted of the misdemeanor.

So, to be clear, I have no convictions.

Later, I forget exactly when, I get pulled over for no drivers insurance, given a ticket, sent on my way.

Later, I believe around May of 2013, leaving Texas, moving to California, I get pulled over for speeding. Quite possibly exceeded 15mph, therefore considered reckless driving. In California I didn't pay fines immediately, so they revoked my license. Finally paid my fines and got my license restored August of 2014.

I regret the many choices I've made. I was a foolish idiot through and through.

Now, in California, I've held down jobs, quit the drugs, quit smoking weed, clean over 3 years now. I plan to keep it that way. Been driving good, no tickets. I just don't want to be a "rebel" anymore. I want to do right, be clean. I also want what is good, though I don't deserve what is good because of my past choices.

I've reached out to two different company-sponsored schools, seeking to receive my CDL's and training. The first company/school, upon hearing I had a possible reckless driving on my record wouldn't accept me. Understandable. The second company/school I'm still waiting to hear back from. They're looking into my Texas background. Given my background, when I hear back from them, I highly doubt it's going to be a go.

I'll contract with any school for a year or more. Not so much worried about the pay as much as getting my foot in the door; getting the experience to become a pro. I'm starting to think my chances of becoming a trucker are now slim to none...closer to none. At the same time I don't want to give up.

The next step I want to take is getting my background check from Hireright. I want to see what everyone else will see, that way I can tell them all beforehand.

So this is where I'm at. Please, any thoughts/advice would be greatly appreciated. Do I stand a chance of getting in, at all???

Thank you for your time.

I recommend that you contact Carolina Cargo. They are a well known "2nd Chance" Company. Just be very upfront with them about your past and that you have an honest desire to change your ways. That is one hell of a story, you are going to have a lot to overcome. Best of luck to you.

BTW, Weed is a drug

Hello,

I want to drive a truck.

I was kicked out of the Army September of 2010 due to my own bad choices. My DD214 (discharge paper) reads: General Under Honorable Conditions; Misconduct (Drug Abuse).

While I was still in the Army, living in Texas, between the years of 2008-09, I was arrested for assault. I plead guilty under the plea deal "Deferred Adjudication". I did a year probation successfully and I wasn't convicted of the misdemeanor. Again, later in the Army, I failed the drug test for marijuana, got kicked out.

Out of the Army, somewhere in the years of 2011-12, I get pulled over and arrested for possession of marijuana. Again, I plead guilty under the plea deal "Deferred Adjudication". I completed a year probation successfully and wasn't convicted of the misdemeanor.

So, to be clear, I have no convictions.

Later, I forget exactly when, I get pulled over for no drivers insurance, given a ticket, sent on my way.

Later, I believe around May of 2013, leaving Texas, moving to California, I get pulled over for speeding. Quite possibly exceeded 15mph, therefore considered reckless driving. In California I didn't pay fines immediately, so they revoked my license. Finally paid my fines and got my license restored August of 2014.

I regret the many choices I've made. I was a foolish idiot through and through.

Now, in California, I've held down jobs, quit the drugs, quit smoking weed, clean over 3 years now. I plan to keep it that way. Been driving good, no tickets. I just don't want to be a "rebel" anymore. I want to do right, be clean. I also want what is good, though I don't deserve what is good because of my past choices.

I've reached out to two different company-sponsored schools, seeking to receive my CDL's and training. The first company/school, upon hearing I had a possible reckless driving on my record wouldn't accept me. Understandable. The second company/school I'm still waiting to hear back from. They're looking into my Texas background. Given my background, when I hear back from them, I highly doubt it's going to be a go.

I'll contract with any school for a year or more. Not so much worried about the pay as much as getting my foot in the door; getting the experience to become a pro. I'm starting to think my chances of becoming a trucker are now slim to none...closer to none. At the same time I don't want to give up.

The next step I want to take is getting my background check from Hireright. I want to see what everyone else will see, that way I can tell them all beforehand.

So this is where I'm at. Please, any thoughts/advice would be greatly appreciated. Do I stand a chance of getting in, at all???

Thank you for your time.

Not going to sugar coat it. You probably won't get hired for several years if then. Being released from military for drugs isn't something that will go away.

William W., I hope you don't mind, but I'm going to summarize what you said above just to make it easier to digest. Here are the negative items trucking companies are going to look at:

1. General discharge from Army, September 2010 2. Probation for assault, no conviction, 2009, probation completed 3. Failed drug test, 2010 4. Probation for possession, no conviction, 2012, probation completed 5. Driving without insurance, 2012-2013? 6. Reckless driving (speeding >15 mph), May 2013 7. License revocation, 2013 - August 2014

Now, I'm not trying to discourage you, especially since you're trying to turn your life around. It sounds like you are facing the reality you created by your behavior and are trying to figure out a way to make a better life for yourself. I applaud you for that. I went through something like that when I was much younger, but had the good fortune to never get caught doing some of the bad things I did.

One of the first things to do when you're in that transition from the old life to the new life is to face the facts, which is why I listed them above. I'm not saying you haven't faced the facts; obviously, you have, since you've been so open about them. Rather, what I'm saying is that these are the things that you are going to have to overcome to break into this industry.

Some of these items are going to be high barriers to entry. Some companies will view them as being cured by time, some won't. Truck drivers are entrusted with expensive equipment and valuable cargo. The trucking companies and their insurers want to make sure that the odds are very good that that equipment and cargo will make it from one place to another without incident. Past issues with drugs and driving convictions make those odds go down. The way to make the odds go up is to avoid any more problems for some period of time.

The three driving violations (no insurance, reckless driving, and revocation) are pretty recent in terms of convincing a trucking company to overlook them. The combination of driving violations in such a short span (three in about two years) will also raise eyebrows.

There are companies that will hire you in spite of those items, but generally they'll want some period of time to have elapsed without any violations before they'll look at your application. That period of time varies by company. Some will want to see at least two or three years without violations, some will want to see five or seven or ten years without violations, and some companies will disqualify you for life based on the reckless driving ticket alone.

The same can be said separately for the drug violations and the general discharge. Some trucking companies will say ok, it's been X number of years and you've straightened your life out, we'll give you a shot. Some will say never since you failed a drug test.

Frankly, I think it's going to be tough for you right now to get trained and hired in the trucking industry, but I can't say it will be impossible. Carolina Cargo has already been mentioned as one of those companies known to be more willing to take on people who have marks on their history. There are other OTR companies that might give you a shot as well. There are also probably some local companies in California or elsewhere that will take a chance on you, but most of them won't train you, so you'll have to figure out how to get your CDL first.

I don't want you to be discouraged. Again, I think it is admirable that you want to change the way you live. I would suggest applying to as many places as you can to find out what some different companies will say. There is a place on this site where you can apply to a bunch of companies with one application. That will help you to figure out who might be interested.

Finally, if you try all this and you still get turned down, the other thing to consider is whether you can find a suitable job where the barriers aren't so high. There is more than one path to a better life. It's tough going to turn it around some times, but it is worth it. If you run into dead ends, turn around and look for another route.

Good luck, and let us know how it turns out!

Thanks everyone for your comments. I really appreciate the advice, straightforwardness, and encouragement. Yeah, I hope to keep you all informed here, let you know if there's any progress.

Here is the link to shotgun your application out.

Apply For Truck Driving Jobs

Here is our "starter pack" for getting into this industry.

• Truck Driver's Career Guide
• Brett's Book: The Raw Truth About Trucking (free online version)
• High Road Training Program

Good Luck in your endeavors.

Drive Safe and God Speed

I won't sugar coat this, either. Stop making poor decisions that will have lasting consequences on your life.

-Charles, Retired Military