Do you know that the trucking industry is a flourishing business in the USA? Talking about the jobs, a person can earn on average $35,000 to $40,000 a year. Meanwhile, the felons are having a hard time getting settled with an appointment. Here, the trucking companies come to the rescue to hire them even they don’t have experience.
Individuals with a felony conviction can get a second chance to earn their livelihood. However, criminal background checks and lack of employment will have to be shared.
The article here shares how a felon can take the job of a truck driver. Some of the factors involved include the salary of the driver, kind of jobs, etc.
Truck Driver’s Earning and What Impacts It
If we talk about the truck driver’s salary, it depends on the person’s job. If the individual has a Class A CDL license, then a commercial truck driving job pays much more. Whereas other truckers who work over the road also earn well.
However, some factors might impact the earning of a truck driver. Take a look.
- The CDL class license for commercial truck driving jobs
- Your location, state, or place where you reside and work
- The trucking company you work for
- Your job type and how much freight you carry, etc
- How many years of experience you got?
Trucking Jobs in the USA – The Types
A felon who wants to get a job in the trucking industry can opt for the following positions.
Local Jobs in the Trucking Company
When a hired with trucking company hires an individual for local jobs, it is much suitable. It is because the daily work is given for small tasks to deliver goods or courier locally. For example, the person can work as a truck driver for FedEx or similar companies.
The pay rate for such kind of job depends on the hours worked. However, if the company hires a felon without prior experience, the hourly rate drops to almost half. Further, the individual will get acquainted with the work along with experience too.
Over Road Jobs (OTR)
As compared to the local trucking jobs, over the road job is quite tricky. However, with experience, everything gets settled in the long run. Here, the job is about long-distance hauls. A truck driver travels to different states across the USA, working for almost 2-3 weeks.
This kind of job pays well to the truckers, but they have to deduct all the fuel costs, maintenance, etc. A felon convict hired for an OTR job receives payment per mile.
Is Walmart A Good Option For Trucking Jobs?
Some of the large trucking companies often provide felons with jobs. They don’t ask for prior experience and even offer training to the felon convicts.
Talking about Walmart, it is one of the best for trucking jobs. The company can pay much better salaries to the OTR truck drivers. Well, not just better wages, Walmart provides several benefits too. These benefits include health insurance, shopping benefits, real estate guidance as well as commuter perks.
Being one of the largest retailers in the USA, Walmart is known to be the safest in the world. It employs several people as a part of its truck fleet. So, felons get a better chance to work with Walmart. However, the individual has to make sure that this kind of job demands long hauls. It isn’t just a regular shift job where the work is a local one.
Meanwhile, an individual requires at least 2.5 years of driving experience for OTR jobs. Further, there should not be any violation or DUI conviction. Reckless driving is also not entertained. Secondly, the most important is to get a Class A CDL truck driver’s license.
So, the first thing a felon should do is get hired by a trucking company without experience. Local jobs will be suitable in the first place. After that, the felon convict can opt for OTR jobs once the experience is gained.
How To Apply With A Trucking Company?
Having a felony conviction on an individual’s record is still acceptable by the trucking companies. However, the person is required to present or share history with honesty. Being transparent about their past is a good thing to go.
Meanwhile, to apply for trucking company jobs, most of them have an online application. Fill in the application and submit it for the person to get selected for the interview.
However, take a look at some of the other points which are considered. The following information has to be shared along with the application.
- Address of the place where you live
- Driver’s license, if any acquired (Share the history of past three years)
- History of previous employment (it can be up to a maximum of 10 years)
- History of convictions or violations related to traffic accidents, reckless driving, driving under the influence, etc
- Social security number
Conclusion
So, this is it. Being a felon convict, one can overcome the challenges faced by getting a job. Trucking jobs are in high demand, and one can earn well. Don’t worry if the companies ask for a background check. It is a part of their process. Go and ensure your job right now and earn your livelihood.
