Getting CDL With 4 Duis? Worth It?

Have 4 DUIs between 1997 to 2006. I have been sober for ten years. Serious not a drop. I am thinking of getting a CDL but found 90 percent of trucking companies won't have anything to do with me. I got one that ran my background and promised me a job, but the terminal is 4 hours from my home so I am hirable barely but frustrated. I'll have to quit my job and drop everything to go to truck driving school with one offer of employment family mouths to feed. I guess I wanted more options. They are limited but yes I can get an OTR job but I am very restricted who I can work with. Most companies that do hire with duis have no more than 2 lifetime policy. Perhaps getting a year or two under my belt will open doors at least with some the smaller companies. A local outfit told me to get a year under my belt and then call but even then she couldn't make any promises. Any ideas input be appreciated. I can double my income if I do this but I am hesitant as I am more restricted on hirability than most.

Unfortunately that will be a huge hurdle to overcome. Have you tried Carolina Cargo? I don't know if CFI will take you, but give them a call. I don't know how many of the second chance companies will touch that. The quantity per lifetime is what hurts you. Good luck.

Those DUIs will be a drag on this career. But if you have a company that will hire you, terminal 4 hrs away, go with it. BTW, what company? The more information you provide, the better & more specific our advice.

For OTR , the distance between the terminal and the house is not important. As long as your company can book you with freight in a way that you pass by your home, you're OK. You'll get that dispatch with the extra time for your home stop included.

Some drivers almost never stop at their company's terminals.

Here are the search results for Multiple DUI's And Finding A Truck Driving Job

Windy Hill Foliage out of Marshfield Wisconsin is the one company that will take me. They don't let you take the trucks home so I will have to drive to the terminal and back with my personal vehicle when it comes to hometime. 14 days out to 2 days home. I guess I was looking for a little more hometime, as i got kids. A local company who i would work for gets there drivers home every weekend if they want to be home said to call them after I get a year under my belt, but couldn't make any promises. Most companies won't hire me. Just seems kinda risky to drop everything to do this with limited job offers for example what if it didn't work put with windy hills then what. Fyi, I wouldn't mind working local too and being home a bit more.

Those DUIs will be a drag on this career. But if you have a company that will hire you, terminal 4 hrs away, go with it. BTW, what company? The more information you provide, the better & more specific our advice.

For OTR , the distance between the terminal and the house is not important. As long as your company can book you with freight in a way that you pass by your home, you're OK. You'll get that dispatch with the extra time for your home stop included.

Some drivers almost never stop at their company's terminals.

Here are the search results for Multiple DUI's And Finding A Truck Driving Job

I am starting to understand now I can call companies all over for OTR. What I struggle with is being gone 14 home 2 gone 21 home 3, as I got little ones. I was hoping for something with a little more hometime. At the same time is love to be OTR. I will literally have to quit my job and go to CDL school get my CDL drop everything for this career but with one may be two job offers when the average Joe can get a 100 found myself discouraged and hard for me to take the risk.

Unfortunately that will be a huge hurdle to overcome. Have you tried Carolina Cargo? Good luck.

Im no lawyer or anything. I was under the impression that CDL may be issued by individual states. The cdl is also federally regulated.

I was under the impression that federally two dui charges gets you lifetime disqualification from CDL. Let alone 4 charges. Contact an attorney and see if they have a solution.

With 4 DUI's, I can only wonder how you would have ANY license? IMHO, I'd much rather you stay off the roads forever. Any road!

Bryan...congrats on your sobriety. Well done. I applaud your desire now to better your income for your family. I think it’s great that there’s an outfit that will give you an opportunity. You’ll need to decide how much sacrifice your willing to go through to reach your ultimate goal...which is a better life for you and your family. Four hours is a heck of a commute. Do you own or rent? Is relocating the family closer to the job an option? Just some thoughts.

Best of luck and keep up the good work

Hey Bryan, congrats on remaining focused on you & your family. I’m right there with you. While I don’t have any DUI’s, that doesn’t mean I didn’t have hurdles to overcome. I’m sober since ‘83 so don’t ever say “F” it & give up. If we have to fight harder for something that’ll benefit us & our loved ones, that will make it more worth the accomplishment. It’s not insurmountable by any means. With faith & determination you can make anything happen.

Now you may have to sacrifice one year of your life for it to happen. You have to weigh the pros & cons of what ahead of you. You have to sit with those who’ll be impacted & come to a consensus of what in the best interest for everyone involved. Most important should be the question, can everyone involved make the sacrifices necessary for this to become reality?

I don’t have my CDL yet but will start orientation on March 5th. From everything that I’ve read here, you should focus on getting the right experience & foundation under you to take on the very demanding rigors of driving a dedicated regional driving position. It’s not to say that everyone has to follow the same route to success in this field! But this has statistically been a proven way of succeeding as a professional truck driver. At the end of that year, you’ll owe no money if you go through a company paid training program. Again, only you & your family know your limitations & what is the best road forward.

I will close with the same as I started. Never let anyone’s comments, behavior or biases determine your success or failure. Keep your focus & find a way. Keep asking, keep trying, just keep on moving forward.

God bless, good luck & stay safe!

I had 2 DUIs over twenty years ago, and one in 2003 and one in 2006. Fyi I went without a license for a decade. I paid my dues. I haven't had a drop of alcohol since march 28, 2008 and i mean it not a drop. My life is totally different now. I work in a ministry where I help those with addictions now. I haven't had a single ticket since September 2006. My past is just that. The past. Not everyone understands how addictions work. I beat mine, and now I want to drive truck pure and simple and don't really care what anyone thinks about it. I am assessing my hirability based on my past, and yes I am hirable so this ex reformed DUI offender may be driving an 18 wheeler in a town near you! But nowadays I don't get much harder than water. I even lay low with the soda but I may be fully equipped with a coffee or two and I take my coffee black, and never more than two cups a day. I do not allow alcohol in my home. I don't like being at get togethers with alcohol. I hate the stuff as it almost ruined my life. I even teach my kids abstinence from it. I made sure to pick a wife that didn't drink. There was a day in the past I was a danger on the road but I got a decade sobriety under my belt and Lord willing I will never drink a drop again.

With 4 DUI's, I can only wonder how you would have ANY license? IMHO, I'd much rather you stay off the roads forever. Any road!