A Cautionary Tale About Wilson Logistics...

This post is not meant to disparage Wilson Logistics, nor is it meant to dissuade anyone possibly looking into joining Wilson Logistics but what I have to say..needs to be said.

Roughly 6-8 weeks ago I decided to start seriously pursuing my dream of becoming a trucker. I looked into many different companies but landed on Wilson Logistics as the best choice for me. My recruiter seemed to really know his stuff and gave me extremely detailed information on what my first 90 days at WL would look like. I signed up and told him lets do this.

Now in the name of true transparency, here are my issues. I have one 13-year-old felony for embezzlement and in 2018 my "Michigan' license was suspended for no proof of insurance, while I lived in Kentucky with an active KY driver's license. Michigan is like nazi Germany with Covid and all government buildings are using Covid as an excuse to be the worst public service examples in HISTORY. So our Secretary of State is 4 months behind on appointments. With that said, I wasn't able to obtain an active Michigan license until 1/21. ALL OF THIS WAS TOLD TO WILSON LOGISTICS UPFRONT 6-8 WEEKS AGO!!

Well, I'm through my sleep apnea testing and set my date to head out to Springfield, MO on May 3rd to begin my journey. I quit my job (put in the notice) on April 1st and announced I would be leaving on April 23rd. On April 22nd Wilson Logistics was nice enough to call me and inform me they are passing on me as my driving license being suspended doesn't meet their ridiculous standards and "good luck". Now I know, other companies require 12-month consecutive history so before you jump on me, I held a KY license the entire time. I have NO speeding tickets in over 15 years. I have NO accidents in over 15 years. I have NO other violations other than no proof of insurance in my driving record.

The point of this is to warn any potential students or drivers looking to join the Wilson Logistics family need to know, they are EXTREMELY picky and may wait until the last minute to tell you to kick rocks and not take YOUR situation (or job) into consideration.

Nathan, we thought twice before approving your post.

You are new to this. You probably don't realize that what you went through happens all the time. This is nothing exclusive to Wilson Logistics. Getting started in trucking has it's issues, especially if we already have some of our own.

You also have to realize we know how easy it is for you to share your story when we don't get to hear from anybody at Wilson concerning this matter.

I hope you make a great entrance into this career, and further hope you can be a Top Tier Driver. Just so you know why I am saying all this, I want you to know that I got sent home from three different trucking job orientations when I was trying to get started. That's why I say this happens all the time in trucking. You just get back on the horse and try to ride it again.

You didn't necessarily need to warn anybody about Wilson Logistics. They are a great company with a lot of great drivers. You didn't make the cut. That's okay. You move on and you figure out how to start again. I had to do that very thing three consecutive times in a row. It didn't mean anything in the long run. I finally got my chance and I made sure it went well. You will have to do the same thing. Dust yourself off and don't be resentful. There are thousands of resentful truckers out here. Nobody enjoys hearing from them. We love hearing from the guys and gals who know how to get the job done out here. You hit a roadblock. Move forward and make it happen on the next route. We are pulling for you!

Thank you for the reply OldSchool. Please don't think I'm trying to be sour grapes or a "typical" angry resentful driver, blaming everyone but themselves. I honestly know that I made a mistake in my past but that's why I was 100% upfront with them right from the jump. The fact that the recruiter allowed me to quit my job and didn't pre-qualify me with the appropriate people is what makes me very upset. Its incredibly poor business and back hiring practices to let people quit their jobs thinking they have an opportunity that they wait till the very end to actually get approved. Might be a bad recruiter, might be how they do business, I don't know. All I wanted to accomplish was give my story to the internet about a company that has so little negative about it online. I'm not saying they are bad, just that people with issues such as mine, need to be careful with them. As now I'm scrambling to find employment because of what happened.

Thank you for the support!! I'm going to find something and I want to be a top tier, safe, and respectful driver for someone!

Nathan, we thought twice before approving your post.

You are new to this. You probably don't realize that what you went through happens all the time. This is nothing exclusive to Wilson Logistics. Getting started in trucking has it's issues, especially if we already have some of our own.

You also have to realize we know how easy it is for you to share your story when we don't get to hear from anybody at Wilson concerning this matter.

I hope you make a great entrance into this career, and further hope you can be a Top Tier Driver. Just so you know why I am saying all this, I want you to know that I got sent home from three different trucking job orientations when I was trying to get started. That's why I say this happens all the time in trucking. You just get back on the horse and try to ride it again.

You didn't necessarily need to warn anybody about Wilson Logistics. They are a great company with a lot of great drivers. You didn't make the cut. That's okay. You move on and you figure out how to start again. I had to do that very thing three consecutive times in a row. It didn't mean anything in the long run. I finally got my chance and I made sure it went well. You will have to do the same thing. Dust yourself off and don't be resentful. There are thousands of resentful truckers out here. Nobody enjoys hearing from them. We love hearing from the guys and gals who know how to get the job done out here. You hit a roadblock. Move forward and make it happen on the next route. We are pulling for you!

Though unfortunate, I think it is best to look at it as...Wilson wasn't the match for you - and fortunately you found out before you got there.

I am sure you can find another company. A hurdle for sure, but you will jump it...and nail the landing.

John, That is absolutely true!! I will land on my feet and I will use this experience to appreciate the company that does bring me on and do everything in my power to be the best, most dedicated driver possible!!

Though unfortunate, I think it is best to look at it as...Wilson wasn't the match for you - and fortunately you found out before you got there.

I am sure you can find another company. A hurdle for sure, but you will jump it...and nail the landing.

Not to derail the OP's post, but I have a question about this:

"Now I know, other companies require 12-month consecutive history so before you jump on me, I held a KY license the entire time."

I've lived in Texas for decades now. I'm planning to leave Texas and start my truck driving career in Ohio because that's where my wife is from (and I want her to be around family while I'm out driving). The plan is to locate an OH address, switch my regular DL to OH then immediately start with a company school in OH (within a matter of months). Is the fact that I'll only have an OH license for a few months doom me from the start?? I have a clean driving record in Texas.

I hadn't considered this before...just didn't know...Obviously, I could train and license in Texas, then move, but then I'd have to find time off to change my license to OH (and I have other reasons to leave TX once I retire from my current career). The company I'm looking at has schools in TX and OH so that's not an issue.

It won't matter which state you have the license, or when it was switched. This will all come back when the employer does a search for their background checks.

Driving with another state license while privileges are suspended in a second state is a major offense, I ended up doing a weekend in county for that and the judge pushed for revocation. It was in my youth.

I have had a saga here with getting turned down from speeding tickets. Wilson was one of them. It's not their fault, I got the tickets. Sure they hoped they could work around them as did I. Their insurance couldn't cover me. It is what it is. I was very fortunate to have had some corrections to my mvr and was able to get hired by Knight.

There are a ton of really great resources on this site and lots of info. I'd recommend doing whatever you need to do to get your mvr in order and look at some of the resources here. Paid CDL Training Programs

Apply For Paid CDL Training

This reply is for all new people.

There is a problem that many new people have when getting into trucking. That is not having the knowledge to ask the right questions. We ask the wrong questions or the right questions the wrong way. We also, sometimes, hear things the wrong way.

No one should quit their job until they have gotten a firm offer from a trucking company. All companies understand you may have to give two weeks notice.

It won't matter which state you have the license, or when it was switched. This will all come back when the employer does a search for their background checks.

Thank you sir. That's what I thought. After all, it's not like they can't see your record in any state...especially since they have a school in Texas and Ohio. Seems like I should be fine.