Dont Know What To Do

Hi guys. I obtained a CDL last year in June. I had a bad driving record and many companies would not give me a chance. I now have 2 tickets in a 3 year period on my MVR. Never had a DUI. Cintas is the only company that accepted my record for a driving job. So for the last year I have driven a Cintas truck from salt lake city where I live, to grand junction Colorado and back 4 times a week. It's a 24 foot freightliner box truck with a 16000 gvw. So I haven't even been using my cdl. I got my cdl at salt lake community college. We learned on freightliner cascadia trucks with 13 speed transmissions.

I say all this because I dont know what to do now. I'd like to actually use my cdl and go to a local company and see if I can get a local or regional job. I dont know if they'll even look at my cdl as valid. I never really had much problem shifting but with mostly automatic transmissions on these large fleets now I dont think they'd care anyway.

What do you guys think I should do? I almost feel nervous thinking about getting back into the seat of a big rig again. Having to shift gears properly while handling the rig properly while obeying traffic laws etc. Which is why getting an auto would help. Thanks

Hi guys. I obtained a CDL last year in June. I had a bad driving record and many companies would not give me a chance. I now have 2 tickets in a 3 year period on my MVR. Never had a DUI. Cintas is the only company that accepted my record for a driving job. So for the last year I have driven a Cintas truck from salt lake city where I live, to grand junction Colorado and back 4 times a week. It's a 24 foot freightliner box truck with a 16000 gvw. So I haven't even been using my cdl. I got my cdl at salt lake community college. We learned on freightliner cascadia trucks with 13 speed transmissions.

I say all this because I dont know what to do now. I'd like to actually use my cdl and go to a local company and see if I can get a local or regional job. I dont know if they'll even look at my cdl as valid. I never really had much problem shifting but with mostly automatic transmissions on these large fleets now I dont think they'd care anyway.

What do you guys think I should do? I almost feel nervous thinking about getting back into the seat of a big rig again. Having to shift gears properly while handling the rig properly while obeying traffic laws etc. Which is why getting an auto would help. Thanks

If you're interested in local, see if FedEx freight has any driver apprentice openings. They'll accept your CDL, but you'll have to complete the program to get an offer letter, but it's worth it in my opinion.

Hi guys. I obtained a CDL last year in June. I had a bad driving record and many companies would not give me a chance. I now have 2 tickets in a 3 year period on my MVR. Never had a DUI. Cintas is the only company that accepted my record for a driving job. So for the last year I have driven a Cintas truck from salt lake city where I live, to grand junction Colorado and back 4 times a week. It's a 24 foot freightliner box truck with a 16000 gvw. So I haven't even been using my cdl. I got my cdl at salt lake community college. We learned on freightliner cascadia trucks with 13 speed transmissions.

I say all this because I dont know what to do now. I'd like to actually use my cdl and go to a local company and see if I can get a local or regional job. I dont know if they'll even look at my cdl as valid. I never really had much problem shifting but with mostly automatic transmissions on these large fleets now I dont think they'd care anyway.

What do you guys think I should do? I almost feel nervous thinking about getting back into the seat of a big rig again. Having to shift gears properly while handling the rig properly while obeying traffic laws etc. Which is why getting an auto would help. Thanks

If you're interested in local, see if FedEx freight has any driver apprentice openings. They'll accept your CDL, but you'll have to complete the program to get an offer letter, but it's worth it in my opinion.

Thanks. I'll look into that. Since I have a cdl already does that mean I start on the dock or start in a truck?

You may have to wait for at least 3 years from the date of your last ticket, depending on what they where for.

What ever you do not get anymore

Hey Jake, it's gonna help you tremendously to keep doing what you're doing now until you have nothing on that driving record for three years. It sounds like you're ready to move on, but I'd stick with that current job until you have three years with no tickets.

Here's what that's going to do for you. Obviously it makes your driving record look much better, but the fact that you have several years at the same employer speaks volumes about your commitment to your job. That's a big deal when employers look at interested newcomers.

You're going to have to go through training again. You'll be required to do a "refresher" course, and the best way to do that is to go with a company that has a Paid CDL Training Program. You'll have a lot of options to choose from, and you'll be getting started with the training you need.

I dont know if they'll even look at my cdl as valid.

It's not like they consider it invalid. They will know it's valid, but it's that you have no recent tractor trailer experience. That's where the insurance companies begin to dictate their discretion on who can be hired or not. You'll bypass all those issues by submitting to a training program as a refresher.

Get that driving record clean. Prove you've got what it takes to stick around at a driving job. Both of those things will speak highly in your favor. You kind of have yourself backed in a corner right now, but there's a clear path to get out. Just take care of your business and you'll be able to move forward. There's no shortcuts when clearing up some trouble in your past. Do the right thing. Stick it out and you'll really be glad to have that record that screams, "Hey, here's a great candidate for this job!"

Hi guys. I obtained a CDL last year in June. I had a bad driving record and many companies would not give me a chance. I now have 2 tickets in a 3 year period on my MVR. Never had a DUI. Cintas is the only company that accepted my record for a driving job. So for the last year I have driven a Cintas truck from salt lake city where I live, to grand junction Colorado and back 4 times a week. It's a 24 foot freightliner box truck with a 16000 gvw. So I haven't even been using my cdl. I got my cdl at salt lake community college. We learned on freightliner cascadia trucks with 13 speed transmissions.

I say all this because I dont know what to do now. I'd like to actually use my cdl and go to a local company and see if I can get a local or regional job. I dont know if they'll even look at my cdl as valid. I never really had much problem shifting but with mostly automatic transmissions on these large fleets now I dont think they'd care anyway.

What do you guys think I should do? I almost feel nervous thinking about getting back into the seat of a big rig again. Having to shift gears properly while handling the rig properly while obeying traffic laws etc. Which is why getting an auto would help. Thanks

If you're interested in local, see if FedEx freight has any driver apprentice openings. They'll accept your CDL, but you'll have to complete the program to get an offer letter, but it's worth it in my opinion.

Thanks. I'll look into that. Since I have a cdl already does that mean I start on the dock or start in a truck?

You would have to apply as a driver apprentice, not a driver. You don't have the experience to be a driver. They're going to retrain you and evaluate you and decide whether or not they want you as a driver.

You would start out on the dock until it's your turn to train. Could be one month, could be 6, it varies. Once you're done with the program and they hire you as a city driver you go back to the dock until they need you.

Bump

Bumping this. What else do you need to know?

Hey Jake, it's gonna help you tremendously to keep doing what you're doing now until you have nothing on that driving record for three years. It sounds like you're ready to move on, but I'd stick with that current job until you have three years with no tickets.

Here's what that's going to do for you. Obviously it makes your driving record look much better, but the fact that you have several years at the same employer speaks volumes about your commitment to your job. That's a big deal when employers look at interested newcomers.

You're going to have to go through training again. You'll be required to do a "refresher" course, and the best way to do that is to go with a company that has a Paid CDL Training Program. You'll have a lot of options to choose from, and you'll be getting started with the training you need.

I dont know if they'll even look at my cdl as valid.

It's not like they consider it invalid. They will know it's valid, but it's that you have no recent tractor trailer experience. That's where the insurance companies begin to dictate their discretion on who can be hired or not. You'll bypass all those issues by submitting to a training program as a refresher.

Get that driving record clean. Prove you've got what it takes to stick around at a driving job. Both of those things will speak highly in your favor. You kind of have yourself backed in a corner right now, but there's a clear path to get out. Just take care of your business and you'll be able to move forward. There's no shortcuts when clearing up some trouble in your past. Do the right thing. Stick it out and you'll really be glad to have that record that screams, "Hey, here's a great candidate for this job!"

I'm bumping this. I'm not sure why, but Jake is trying to re-post the exact same question again. Maybe he wants some more advice.

Jake is back again with the same question. So I'm bumping this once again to avoid the redundancy of double postings.