WANTING A NEW LIFE.
Topic 6244 | Page 1
I was recently released from prison on a burglary charge, I've been wanting to drive trucks since I was a kid but I'm having problems getting into a school. Can anyone give me some advice?
You can get a job in trucking even though you have been to prison. I should know. The problem is most companies want at least 10 good years of clean living (trouble free) before they will even look at you. If it's been less than 10 years you are going to find it very hard to find a job driving a truck.
Small companies that do local work can help you... I have no bad history at all but I work for a second chance milk company (Clouse Trucking Inc) they hire people with bad history. I dont know if thats a rare thing or not.
I work for a second chance milk company (Clouse Trucking Inc) they hire people with bad history. I dont know if thats a rare thing or not.
Unfortunately it's very rare for driving jobs anyhow. Guyjax is right - it's going to be extremely difficult. If you can get into one of the Company-Sponsored Training Programs to bring you on you would be golden but that's highly unlikely.
If you can land two or three pre-hires then you know you'll be able to find work. Then you can attend a Private Truck Driving School without worrying about wasting your time and money on getting the training but not being able to land a job. We have an excellent article that will help you Understand Pre-Hires if you're not familiar with the process.
CDL:
Commercial Driver's License (CDL)
A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles:
- Any combination of vehicles with a gross combined weight rating (GCWR) of 26,001 or more pounds, providing the gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of the vehicle being towed is in excess of 10,000 pounds.
- Any single vehicle with a GVWR of 26,001 or more pounds, or any such vehicle towing another not in excess of 10,000 pounds.
- Any vehicle, regardless of size, designed to transport 16 or more persons, including the driver.
- Any vehicle required by federal regulations to be placarded while transporting hazardous materials.
Pre-hire:
What Exactly Is A Pre-Hire Letter?
Pre-hire letters are acceptance letters from trucking companies to students, or even potential students, to verify placement. The trucking companies are saying in writing that the student, or potential student, appears to meet the company's minimum hiring requirements and is welcome to attend their orientation at the company’s expense once he or she graduates from truck driving school and has their CDL in hand.
We have an excellent article that will help you Understand The Pre-Hire Process.
A Pre-Hire Letter Is Not A Guarantee Of Employment
The people that receive a pre-hire letter are people who meet the company's minimum hiring requirements, but it is not an employment contract. It is an invitation to orientation, and the orientation itself is a prerequisite to employment.
During the orientation you will get a physical, drug screen, and background check done. These and other qualifications must be met before someone in orientation is officially hired.
Pre-hires:
What Exactly Is A Pre-Hire Letter?
Pre-hire letters are acceptance letters from trucking companies to students, or even potential students, to verify placement. The trucking companies are saying in writing that the student, or potential student, appears to meet the company's minimum hiring requirements and is welcome to attend their orientation at the company’s expense once he or she graduates from truck driving school and has their CDL in hand.
We have an excellent article that will help you Understand The Pre-Hire Process.
A Pre-Hire Letter Is Not A Guarantee Of Employment
The people that receive a pre-hire letter are people who meet the company's minimum hiring requirements, but it is not an employment contract. It is an invitation to orientation, and the orientation itself is a prerequisite to employment.
During the orientation you will get a physical, drug screen, and background check done. These and other qualifications must be met before someone in orientation is officially hired.
Company-sponsored Training:
A Company-Sponsored Training Program is a school that is owned and operated by a trucking company.
The schooling often requires little or no money up front. Instead of paying up-front tuition you will sign an agreement to work for the company for a specified amount of time after graduation, usually around a year, at a slightly lower rate of pay in order to pay for the training.
If you choose to quit working for the company before your year is up, they will normally require you to pay back a prorated amount of money for the schooling. The amount you pay back will be comparable to what you would have paid if you went to an independently owned school.
Company-sponsored training can be an excellent way to get your career underway if you can't afford the tuition up front for private schooling.
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I was recently released from prison on a burglary charge, I've been wanting to drive trucks since I was a kid but I'm having problems getting into a school. Can anyone give me some advice?