Hi,
I am curious if anyone knows how hard it is to get a job in truck driving after a one year felony sentence ?? The sentence was for theft , but was from 1997 and he has had no charges since then except revoke of probation....for not keeping up with probation properly....He wants to go to truck driving school when he gets out and make that his new career so if anyone knows any info on this subject please let us know....Thanks !! oh and he will be home in June....of 2003...Good Luck to All...
Laurie.....

Laurie thats a good question cuz my honey also wants to get his CDL and do some truck driving. My bro-in-law is a drivers trainer for Swift and he said he thinks they hire them depending on what they have on there record. He is not sure though. So if anyone knows about this I would also like to know.

Beck

I asked my Bubba (brother in law) about this, as he is a truck driver... He said that if it wasnt theft you can usely get hired and trained for free... Check out England trucking they have nice rigs and paid training... Good luck...

It will also depend on the PO. If you want to travel out of the county/state, then you'll have to get clearance from him/her.

My uncle was convicted of aggrevated assault and manslaughter (years and years ago) but now drives a truck.

Also, my brother drives a truck and he said that it's easier to get a job with a small trucking company (an individual who owns a few trucks) than a major fleet. The background checks aren't as strict - if they have any at all. It's also easier to convince one person that you've changed than trying to convince a major corporation to change their rules.

Just a couple of thoughts - it's some excellent money! :)

how can we search these companies and get information to put in Angels parole package?

thanks

Thanks for all your responses I will pass the info on to him...I sure hope it works out for him he really wants to do this.....and then we could travel some too ....he is coming home in June!! YEA!!!! Sure miss him!!!

Laurie......

Laurie so wonderful! June is just around the corner! Travis comes home in August! He did tell me that he won't be able to travel for the first 6 months tho as Danielle mentioned here. But good to know he will be able to drive Truck. Good luck to you and your sweetie~

Beck

The only thing about trucking I wouldn't like is the fact that a loved one is always away from home. Dealing with being away from home isn't too fun especially when one has been dealing with it since they were in prison. But I guess if trucking is the only job one can get at a given time, then that's better than no job. Now that I think of it, Tim was talking about some other job, and that is an away from home job too, but it pays some good a** money!!! There are a lot of current drivers who have been in prison, especially in the real smaller companies with only a few trucks. So I agree that it is easier for a recently released person to get a job with a smaller company, although there are occasions when the big companies like Conway Trans, UPS and others will hire them too. Having a CDL with a double/triples endorsment, HAZMAT, and other qualifications could make a person more flexible and can make him/her earn more money!! The more one has on their CDL, the better they will appear to potential employers I think.

pookie

The company my Bro-in-law works for (Swift) a driver can take his or her spouse. My sister goes alot with my bro-in-law. She will be gone for a month or two at a time. She loves the traveling and they both get to spend time together.

My Husband abd I own a small trucking co we have have our trucks leased on to larger companies. They absolutely will not allow us to hire anyone with a criminal conviction they don't care for what reason. They would not even allow us to hire our kids. They say that it is because they have loads that have to go into Canada. Canada will not permit anyone with a conviction into the country.
If you could find a small trucking co that is not leased to another co you might be able to get a driving job through them. A lot of the driving schools will not even allow students with a conviction.
Good Luck!

A bit of information for all who are thinking or trying to get a job in the trucking industry(actually it'll probably be a lot of info) :)

If you already have a cdl or are going to get one through a school and are planning on trying to work for a national carrier (i.e. JB Hunt, Schneider, England, etc); they require you to be able to travel into Canada and Mexico. Now, if you've seen the news lately.. if you're a Max Factor heir.. you can easily LIVE in Mexico even when you're wanted for multiple counts of rape; BUT, Canada is a whoooole other story. If the crime committed was punishable by more than 10 years in prison (no matter what you were actually sentenced to) you can pretty much forget about it. Getting your record expunged here in the states would be easier. If the max sentence was less than 10 years.. there are two ways you can go about it depending on how recent the end of sentence was. 1)If the end of sentence AND parole was less than 5 years ago; you'd need a Canadian Minister's Border Crossing Permit. This allows you to enter and exit Canada at-will, needs to be kept on your person while driving, and, also, must be renewed every 6 mos. to a year depending on the nature of the crime. A little side-note: if the crime was a sex crime, violent or drug-related.. forget it. They're pretty unforgiving of that. Also, if you're a repeat offender(3 or more seperate instinces of the same crime) you can, also, forget about it. Also, if you've been convicted of more than 1 DUI in the states.. forget about ever getting behind the wheel in Canada. There.. you can drink at 18; but, if you drink and drive.. they drop the hammer on you like it was a serious felony in the states.

2) If the sentence and parole was served-out 5 years ago or more, you can apply for what is called an Order of Rehabilitation. Once it's obtained, if you stay on the straight and narrow for at least another 5 yrs, you are considered rehabilitated. God bless the Canadians for actually BELIEVING in rehabilitation.. almost makes a guy wanna move there even with the outrageous taxes and high prices.

All this was obtained during a 4hr long sit-down lunch with a guy from the Immigration Minister's office. They're pretty forgiving of crimes that are not of a violent, drug, or sex-related nature; so, have no fear. Bear in mind that neither of the permits mentioned above are cheap. The Order of Rehabilitation can cost upwards of $1000 to obtain. $200 non-refundable just to apply. If they turn ya down, you're screwed and don't get your money back. If they accept it, they will notify you of how much additionally it will cost you to get the permit depending on the nature of the crime. You CAN though send an information-only copy of the application and then call the Minister in Detroit periodically and see whether or not they would act favorably on it.

If anyone would like additional information on how to obtain either permit, web addresses, street addresses, phone numers, documentation needed, etc.. feel free to email me or get ahold of me on yahoo messenger(sharkman_0527) and I'd be happy to elaborate. I'm currently waiting for mine to come through(can take 6 months to a year for it to be approved) and am working on getting my record here in the states expunged so that I don't ever have to put up with this employment difficulty crap ever again.

Sharkie

Don't believe the hype.. Illinois prisons are on the same level as Turkish prisons.