A "wet And Reckless" In The Eyes Of Potential Employers

I have a DUI from Sept 2015 and a "wet and reckless" from Aug 2014 on my driving record. Both are expunged from my criminal record and driving record is totally clean past 5 years.

Anybody by chance know off the top of their head any companies that hire drivers with more than one alcohol-related offense in a lifetime? I'm aware of the page on this site listing which companies hire DUI's and their specific wait times/polices...but the page hasn't been updated since 09/2019.

Do companies generally see a "wet and reckless" on par with a DUI? My thinking is that while a "wet and reckless" may be seen as less severe than a DUI to most employers, trucking companies consider them pretty much the same thing as a DUI.

Here is the best definition of a "wet and reckless" I could find: “Wet reckless” is simply a nickname for a charge of reckless driving, Vehicle Code 23103, that: Results from a Tahl waiver and plea bargain to charges of driving under the influence, and Includes a note on the defendant’s criminal record that the offense involved alcohol and/or drug use.1 This last factor is what makes a “wet” conviction different from a so-called “dry reckless” plea bargain to DUI charges. A dry reckless does NOT include a note referencing the involvement of alcohol and/or drugs.

I'm currently going to a private CDL school. With a certificate from a private school in hand, 3 jobs in the past 3 years, and those two things on my record, what are my chances of getting hired?

I'm beginning to think they aren't very good and I'm starting to get pretty discouraged.

:(

Hi Garrett,

The best advice we can give you is to use the below link and send out as many applications as you can to as many companies as possible. I do know that Western Express is a "second chance" company and works with folks who have made mistakes in the past and trying to turn it around. Once you apply and now more than ever it is critical that you keep your driving record spotless, even in your personal vehicle, what you do in your personal vehicle affects your CDL record and therefore your hiring eligibility.

Check out

• Trucker's Career Guide: Choosing Your First Truck Driving Job
• Article Category: Finding The Right Truck Driving Job
• Forum Topics Tagged "Choosing A Trucking Company"

And

Apply For Paid CDL Training

These would be excellent starts for you, keep persevering someone is bound to take a chance on you.

Moe

Welcome Garrett. Your going to be fighting an uphill battle for sure. Your reference to wet reckless in out of the ca vehicle code it appears. Trucking companies are going to treat it just like a dui I am fairly sure. In ca that is a plea bargain on a 23152 original charge and they advise in taking the plea it will be considered as a prior if charged with dui in the next 7 years.

I wish you would have been here before you started school. You would have gotten a better idea of how to go about things. Moe gave you good advice above.

Wish you well in your search

Hi Garrett,

The best advice we can give you is to use the below link and send out as many applications as you can to as many companies as possible. I do know that Western Express is a "second chance" company and works with folks who have made mistakes in the past and trying to turn it around. Once you apply and now more than ever it is critical that you keep your driving record spotless, even in your personal vehicle, what you do in your personal vehicle affects your CDL record and therefore your hiring eligibility.

Check out

• Trucker's Career Guide: Choosing Your First Truck Driving Job
• Article Category: Finding The Right Truck Driving Job
• Forum Topics Tagged "Choosing A Trucking Company"

And

Apply For Paid CDL Training

These would be excellent starts for you, keep persevering someone is bound to take a chance on you.

Moe

SPOT ON, MOE~!!!! Tell him; you learned it!!!!!

Garrett, nothing wrong with going forward with school; as I know you were on the fence about. I get it, man; I do.

Moe's advice is SPOT ON. Read the above; and when you DO have that CDL in hand...follow the links he's provided. I'm thinking I had given you one or two of the links, myself.

My husband (the driver of 20plus years in the family) got home early tonight; and .. well... he said 'Wet and Reckless' WTH?!?!?!? ... nevermind, haha! Clickbait ?!?!? (We do NOT have that term in Ohio...sounds ...um ... NVM! lol...) YET, anything 15mph over the limit CAN be deemed reckless by the citing officer. Discretionary, in Ohio. You should've fought that, but you know for next time: a.) DON'T GET ONE! b.) IF the officer 'mistakenly' cited you for such a damming thing, fight it!

Again, apply as Moe suggested!!! Just do it NOW! The whole application form will ASK if you have your CDL, are in school, or whatnot. Seriously, what's to lose ?!?!? Somebody could pick you up NOW .. AND PAY BACK your tuition. It's called reimbursement, and yes..it happens. Sometimes, case by case, tbh !

Also, IIRC, Western Express (which is no longer a training academy due to last year's tornado in TN) is quite forgiving, and your application via this website WILL go to them. Many people don't realize that applying through TT has it's bennies.

If all the above 'falls flat;' I've got a few other companies "in my back pocket" that you could look at. LMK....

I'm glad you are going forward and got OUT of your 'stall' per se!. . . . . keep your chin up!

~ Anne ~

Moe, Thanks for the advice. What paid cdl training programs, if any are in the Portland area?? I'll be moving to Vancouver, WA soon. I haven't had any luck finding any in that area, but if there are I'll probably drop out of school and do paid training up there after I move.

Anne, Thanks for the advice. I did fight it. It was originally a DUI but my lawyer reduced it. I did apply through TT already and only Prime and one other company contacted me. I don't remember the other one because they called and I cant find the note I made. I'm guessing it was Western Express. Ill probably apply again but with a different email address. Ill take those back pocket companies now if that's ok, haha.

So yeah at this point I'm having a really hard time deciding what to do and its driving me nuts, but I'm leaning more towards dropping out and going to paid training.

I'm having a really hard time deciding what to do and its driving me nuts, but I'm leaning more towards dropping out and going to paid training.

Garrett, you've got to be careful at this point. You have already got this ball rolling, and It isn't always the best plan to just try and switch directions. You have got quite a few things that are working against you at this point. With two alcohol related offenses it is highly unlikely that you will be accepted into most of the Paid CDL Training Programs. They are picky. They want to try and determine who the cream of the crop is. They already know how many folks will quit on them, and they want to make sure they are making the best choices from the beginning of the process. Another big red flag for them is the folks who started private school and then dropped out. If you follow your plan and drop out of the private school then you are throwing another disadvantage into the column of things that are stacking up against you.

I honestly think you are better off just staying the course, getting your certificate and CDL, and then applying like crazy to every place you can. There's somebody out there who will give you a shot. I just think at this point you will be better off finishing what you started and trying really hard to find that one company that will say yes to you. If you keep stacking up obstacles it is just going to get harder and harder to get started.

I'm having a really hard time deciding what to do and its driving me nuts, but I'm leaning more towards dropping out and going to paid training.

Garrett, you've got to be careful at this point. You have already got this ball rolling, and It isn't always the best plan to just try and switch directions. You have got quite a few things that are working against you at this point. With two alcohol related offenses it is highly unlikely that you will be accepted into most of the Paid CDL Training Programs. They are picky. They want to try and determine who the cream of the crop is. They already know how many folks will quit on them, and they want to make sure they are making the best choices from the beginning of the process. Another big red flag for them is the folks who started private school and then dropped out. If you follow your plan and drop out of the private school then you are throwing another disadvantage into the column of things that are stacking up against you.

I honestly think you are better off just staying the course, getting your certificate and CDL, and then applying like crazy to every place you can. There's somebody out there who will give you a shot. I just think at this point you will be better off finishing what you started and trying really hard to find that one company that will say yes to you. If you keep stacking up obstacles it is just going to get harder and harder to get started.

Wow, really good and helpful advice man. Thank you so much. You've pretty much got me convinced I should stay in school now.

I cant express enough how awesome this site is and how helpful everyone has been. Without it I'd be really lost, frustrated and making all kinds of bad choices. Hats off to Brett for getting this thing started.

Am I even eligible to get a CDL though? Its possible that two-alcohol-related offences in the lifetime prior to obtaining a CDL disqualify you from getting one in CA.

Anybody know?

I cant find this information on the CA dmv site, or anywhere on the net surprisingly enough. I tried calling them yesterday but was on hold for 2+ hrs so I dropped the call.

You are eligible. The problem comes in when you have a CDL and start getting alcohol offences. The ones you got with your regular license don't disqualify you.

One more thing Garrett. Don't count on these trucking companies not being able to find records that have been expunged. If you have bones in your closet always be honest about it. I have seen several guys get sent home from orientation kicking and screaming because their records had been expunged, yet the trucking company found the problems. It just takes a little extra money to have a really good thorough background check done, and they will spend what it takes to make sure they are getting the truth. Your honesty will hurt you in a sense, but it will also help you. Trust is a big issue in this business, They want to know that you can be trusted. Always shoot straight with them - they like that.

Good luck brother! Hang in there and you will get in somewhere.

Good luck brother! Hang in there and you will get in somewhere.

Thanks for the encouragement!

Would having more endorsements better my chances of getting hired?

Also, when checking your employment history, do companies usually require a certain amount of hours worked over a time period and check your pay stubs to confirm? I'm currently employed, but since I'm going to cdl school I've been on a kind of "per diem" schedule since early March and not getting many hours at all.