A host of factors combine to define if a trucking company is going to hire an ex-felon:
- The time lag that has passed since your sentence was through (not your conviction)
- The nature of the felony for which you were convicted
- The number of felony convictions that you have
- The trucking company’s policies
Being hired as a truck driver as an ex-felon is no guarantee. But the chances are decent and brighter still if the felony does not involve violence. By putting in efforts towards finding a job as a truck driver, an ex-felon should be able to comfortably make it.
What makes truck driving a decent option for ex-felons?
A truck driving job puts forth the deliverable that most people expect from any job. They include:
- Money
- A place to live
- Steady employment
All combined in a single package. The job market is dynamic and there are cases when finding meaningful employment is difficult. So, when a truck driving job is available, you may choose to go for it. A truck driver’s job is likely to put forth the opportunity for you to carve the life that you seek.
Felonies that might obstruct your path to becoming a truck driver
In this section, we will take a look at the felonies that are likely to obstruct the road to getting a CDL, which is a Commercial Drivers License.
- Felony convictions that involve commercial vehicles
- Interstate drug trafficking
- Homicide by vehicle
- TWO DUI convictions while having a CDL
A host of trucking companies will still be willing to hire you even if you have a DUI or DWI misdemeanor or felony. However, they’d conduct this hiring only after a certain number of years pass since you were convicted. The industry standard many trucking companies adhere to is 5 years.
Typically, you can expect a trucking company to display its DUI policy somewhere on its website.
In the trucking industry, speeding tickets are sometimes worse than a felony
All trucking companies buy insurance worth millions of dollars as the law defines. Some situations the industry has to deal with include loads falling off trucks, truck wrecks, and death.
Insurance companies charge a decent amount of money from trucking companies. So they are unlikely to hire someone who has earlier made several driving violations. It pays for truck driving aspirants to keep their driving records clean.
It is important to know that before they hire an ex-felon, a trucking company has to find itself in compliance with the laws defined by FMCSA. So, before hiring any aspirant, a trucking company is going to conduct a background check.
In your interview rounds and preferably on your resume as well, it is best to keep honest regarding your convictions and all other matters with your hiring manager. The trucking company, by law, is required to look into your past 10 years of employment history.
Contact ReeCareers for a host of elaborate resources that are genuinely beneficial for reintegrating ex-felons into society and the workforce. Our services cover aid with Jobs for Convicted Felons, High Paying Jobs for Felons, and Rehabilitation Programs for Felons.
