[brown7477]

I actually contacted them and yes they do hire convicted felons.
However strange this sounds they couldn't hire me because I got a speeding ticket that was 15+mph over one day coming home from my construction job. I was going with the flow and ran into a speed trap. 6 or 7 county cops sitting there snatching people. As bad as the speed sounds, traffic was moving good and everything was fine until we came to the trap. that in my opinion was the unsafe part. they were hiding around a corner and darting into traffic. so traffic slowed abruptly and suddenly when the deputies pulled out of their hiding spot.
State troopers were a few miles back and letting traffic go.
County must of been needing the money.

Beware of Columbia County WI. I39/90/94 north of Madison WI. This is the Hazzard County of Wisconsin with the speed traps.

[mapleleaf_1]

Brown, up in that area of WI there are several companies you contact. There's deBoer, Roehl, Windy Hill, WH Transportation and Wisconsin Logistics, just to mention a few. Those can be a start if you haven't already tried them. I know John Veriha (spelling ??) won't hire you. Best of luck to you.

[Uturn2001]

Well Matt, you have another whammy against you. A 15+ over speed violation is considered reckless driving regardless of what you where actually convicted of. (Speeding and/or reckless).

It is very possible that you are going to have to wait for at least 3-5 years since that violation before any company will consider you, and that is assuming you do not get any other moving violations.

[brown7477]

I am going to contact the courts to see about having it amended to under 15 mph over the limit.
I got a positive response from http://CarolinaCargo.com but the speeding ticket got me.
But the pay wasn't what I consider even min wage.
Maybe I am wrong but they pay teams drivers .10cpm for trip miles and each trip is between 5K-6K miles and i heard about 8 days out.
When I do the Math if I was to average 60mph that is only $6.00 per hour. The good thing is that you are getting paid while your team mate drives.
Also they give layover pay of $50 after 48 hours of sitting. so I could sit for 2 days waiting to load or unload for free. ( NOT GOOD ) :x So if I do the Math correctly if We were to run 6000 miles I would gross $600 for approx 8 days. and obviously I would be considered working for the whole time so that would be 80+hours for $600 gross= $7.50 per hour working. and have to pay for my own food and showers and whatever else I would need. And they hold your pay for your 1st trip til you return from your 2nd trip.
I hear they give $50 advance on departure from terminal and $50 advance when you are heading back to terminal but I know I can't even sit home and live on $50 for a week.

[DD60]

Originally Posted by brown7477

I am going to contact the courts to see about having it amended to under 15 mph over the limit.
I got a positive response from http://CarolinaCargo.com but the speeding ticket got me.
But the pay wasn't what I consider even min wage.
Maybe I am wrong but they pay teams drivers .10cpm for trip miles and each trip is between 5K-6K miles and i heard about 8 days out.
When I do the Math if I was to average 60mph that is only $6.00 per hour. The good thing is that you are getting paid while your team mate drives.
Also they give layover pay of $50 after 48 hours of sitting. so I could sit for 2 days waiting to load or unload for free. ( NOT GOOD ) :x So if I do the Math correctly if We were to run 6000 miles I would gross $600 for approx 8 days. and obviously I would be considered working for the whole time so that would be 80+hours for $600 gross= $7.50 per hour working. and have to pay for my own food and showers and whatever else I would need. And they hold your pay for your 1st trip til you return from your 2nd trip.
I hear they give $50 advance on departure from terminal and $50 advance when you are heading back to terminal but I know I can't even sit home and live on $50 for a week.

This is pretty much the only type of companies that will hire you with your record. At least you looked at the numbers. :lol: Some want to get into this industry so bad(why I have no idea) that they will overlook below min. wage pay and free labor and hire on with these fly-by-night outfits. These type of outfits have usually been out of business and restarted under different names. Until your felony becomes 7 years old and the speeding ticket becomes 3 years old your chances of getting in the trucking industry are slim to none. You may want to look for another career until some time passes and than try again.

[brown7477]

Wanna hear the funny thing about CC?
The owner owns a trucking school and will not even offer free cdl training for the drivers willing to sign a contract.
I can just imagine the equipment.
Nothing about them sounds appealing except they will take a chance with people.
I make almost $27 an hour when I am working.
The problem is my trade is taking a hit with the economy right now.
I created the Website below and like that alot, but need something to get me out on the road and see new things and make a decent living doing it.

[Useless]

Originally Posted by brown7477

I actually contacted them and yes they do hire convicted felons.
However strange this sounds they couldn't hire me because I got a speeding ticket that was 15+mph over one day coming home from my construction job. I was going with the flow and ran into a speed trap. 6 or 7 county cops sitting there snatching people. As bad as the speed sounds, traffic was moving good and everything was fine until we came to the trap. that in my opinion was the unsafe part. they were hiding around a corner and darting into traffic. so traffic slowed abruptly and suddenly when the deputies pulled out of their hiding spot.
State troopers were a few miles back and letting traffic go.
County must of been needing the money.
Beware of Columbia County WI. I39/90/94 north of Madison WI. This is the Hazzard County of Wisconsin with the speed traps.

Brown 7477:

Speaking as an employer who has experience dealing with offenders who have spent time in county jails and state prisons, (with some success, and a few failures) I must say that you are throwing up some pretty serious red flags.

The drug related charges were, in your opinion, "blown out of proportion". The 15mph over the speed limit ticket was because the county sherrif's deputies "were operating a speed trap" and "snatching people".

That may be the way you view things, but from my side of the desk, I see someone who is attempting to distance himself from his record. I'm not wanting to rag on you here, but you must understand that this is an industry that is very unforgiving. Whatever your record is, you own it.

As for your past, the drug related conviction has closed a lot of doors to you; some will be forever shut. The 15+ speeding ticket is going to close almost all, if not all doors for about a three year period from the time it went on your record. I don't know of any insurqance carrier that would allow a company to hire you.

At some point, you may be hireable by some companies; but you must also realize that safety departments are not going to accept defenses, explanations, or excuses such as the one you posted for the speeding ticket.

In the mean time, the oil & gas drilling industry is booming!! The gas drilling industry is going to remain hot for at least the next 20 yrs, (that, BTW, is a conservative estimate!!) especially as the sky-rocketting prices of home heating oil are now at levels that make replacing old oil burning furnaces with gas/propane systems more economically feasible. As China's demands for crude oil continue to rise, the technology is going to shift more and more toward natural gas, which is both plentiful and domesticly available.

Many drilling companies are far less concerned about your past than they are about your willingness to stay clean, (drug free & sober!) reliability, and willingness to put in an honest day's work, and many are willing to train someone who is willing to start at the bottom, listen, learn, follow directions, keep a lid on the complaining, and show up for work on time. If you have experience in the construction industry, or in other industries and have been doing heavy manual labor, that will serve as a big plus for you.

BTW, many drilling companies tend to pay well, and offer good benefits. Those that don't can at least provide a stepping stone to better companies!

With the 15+ ticket, you are essentially locked out of the trucking industry for now. My suggestion?? Cut the excuses and attempts to marginalize, and start looking in other areas.

Good Luck!!

BTW: Have you been released from parole/probation?? Are you free to travel??

[brown7477]

Thanks for the constructive criticism.
I wasn't by any means trying make any excuse for the ticket. It was all me. The same goes for all my issues. I didn't inherit them from no one. I wasn't the only one that got it that day. What I was trying to do was explain how I got it. You should know from experience how easy it is to speed and be more comfortable when traffic is doing the same thing. Oh Well. life goes on.
Also let me ask you how many bad employees have you had that were not felons or Ex Felons?
I also was an employer and I have seen my share of deadbeats also. But I can't say that because they were in trouble at some time that they weren't good workers.
I have more to prove to myself and potential employers with my situation.
I have to show my self that I am not what a lot of these posters wanna call scum. Since getting out of prison I have bought a home, new car, somewhat decent job. All in the last 4 years. I came out with a new perspective on life and another chapter in my life. I am not gonna let my story end as a horror story.
Another thing is that I can honestly say "I have been there and done that and it isn't worth it" I will not be going back to prison for anything.
As for the oil fields? I have thought about it. But it would require relocation. I own my home. and with driving I will be back occasionally. Oil field work. Wouldn't get back at all.

I do agree to a point about some criminals. but i think that employers should at least interview them and see how serious they are.
Being a Employer I am sure you can tell the dif between who you would give a shot and who is probably "HIGH" or casing the joint when you are talking to them.

I have put more effort into this then 90% of the people in my situation. And I am sure it will work out in the long run.

[ICS]

This is a interesting conversation. I do believe people should get a second chance. most of the restrictions that carriers have are not their policy it is just the restriction of the insurance group. plus it is just a better bet to heir on the non-felon than the felon. statistically. It sounds like you are getting your life back together and it seems like you have learned that it is easier to stay out of trouble than to get yourself out of it. Good luck

[Useless]

Originally Posted by brown7477

Thanks for the constructive criticism.
I wasn't by any means trying make any excuse for the ticket. It was all me. The same goes for all my issues. I didn't inherit them from no one. I wasn't the only one that got it that day. What I was trying to do was explain how I got it. You should know from experience how easy it is to speed and be more comfortable when traffic is doing the same thing.
Trust me, I do, but in the eyes of an LEO, or a company'S.O., or on an MVR or DAC report, ot all looks the same!!

Oh Well. life goes on.
Also let me ask you how many bad employees have you had that were not felons or Ex Felons?

I'm pretty selective about who I hire, and as in any situations, there are going to be a few people who can not, or will not fit in. By the time I hire someone, they have undergone a very extensive background check, and have been thoroughly tested and evaluated. As a matter of interest, with few exceptions, I have no interest at all in hiring a "perfect" employee unless I'm looking to hire a real estate agent. (Many reasons for that!!)

As far as a "bad employee" is concerned, I deal with that matter by confronting it head-on. I make no secret about our operating philosophies, and how much they differ from mainstream thinking. I look for trouble spots, and then decide if we can look at the problematic issues, and evaluate whether someone is really interested in admitting their deficiencies and rectifying them, or defending them. Usually, an applicant will start defending or excusing, or attempt to marginalize the problem. That's when I know it's time to wish them well.

One area where I tend to meet very heavy resistance from mid-level employees is when I inform them that as a consition of employment, within about 90 days from their start date, they MUST attend Financial Peace University. Since it is a requirement for employment, I pay for it, and thet are paid for their time. An applicant may not understand why I require it, but until they attend FPU, they will not fully understand my thinking, or how, or why I operate as I do. Without that, we won't have a good fit.

I look for talent the same way that I look for money; I track down undervalued assets, buy them, invest in them, then work to bring them into their own.

Of the ex-cons that I have hired, (eight in the past five yrs) two of them failed parole, and one just showed no indication of being serious about giving up a program that failed, and writting a new script for the future. He's not back in prison, but he did go back to the meth, and he's always close to being homeless. BTW, all three people who bilgged out were meth/crack users. I no longer attempt to deal with methfreaks or crackheads.; the addiction is just too strong.

I also was an employer and I have seen my share of deadbeats also. But I can't say that because they were in trouble at some time that they weren't good workers.

I have more to prove to myself and potential employers with my situation.
I have to show my self that I am not what a lot of these posters wanna call scum. Since getting out of prison I have bought a home, new car, somewhat decent job. All in the last 4 years. I came out with a new perspective on life and another chapter in my life. I am not gonna let my story end as a horror story.

Another thing is that I can honestly say "I have been there and done that and it isn't worth it"

Excellent!! That's the attitude employers like to see!!

I will not be going back to prison for anything.

As for the oil fields? I have thought about it. But it would require relocation.


Not neccesarrily at all, Brown7477!!

I own my home. and with driving I will be back occasionally. Oil field work. Wouldn't get back at all.

:shock: :?: Why do you say that, Brown7477??

:idea: With 7 days on, and 7 days off, working 12 hr. tours, (pronounced "towers"; that is O/F lingo for a shift), you would have plenty of time at home; more that you would with most OTR jobs, and far better dinero, too!!

I do agree to a point about some criminals. but i think that employers should at least interview them and see how serious they are.
Being a Employer I am sure you can tell the dif between who you would give a shot and who is probably "HIGH" or casing the joint when you are talking to them.

True in some cases, to some extent. The nature of the crime has to be considered, as ex-cons can't be bonded, and from a liability standpoint, I just can't take risks in certain areas.

The ex-con who comes to me and very matter of factly owns his past, and is looking for a new beginnning is the one who will get my attention.

In the trucking industry, there are not only company policy and insurance issues, there is also the matter of being ineligable for a Haz-Mat ticket. That in itself is a deal breaker with many companies.

I have put more effort into this then 90% of the people in my situation.
And I am sure it will work out in the long run.

Be careful about what you wish for, Brown7477!! You may get it!!

Look, it's not that I harbor any ill will against you, it's just that I see a lot of difficulties for you if you do manage to get into trucking. Most likely, you'll be driving for some outlaw company, in ratty equipment, having to run illegally, making a pittance of a living, and then there is the issue of the chicken houses.

You see, guys in your position are a very lucrative prospect for LEO's. A quick check of your license will reveal your record, and then they'll spend hours keeping you waiting, searching your truck with a fine toothed comb, pouring over your log book, inspecting your truck, (Outlaw Operators are a VERY lucrative source for the courts!!) and wearing out their pens writting tickets ....... all of which wind up on YOUR DAC report, thus closing even more doors of opportunity for you. In the mean time, you wil have lost more hours, more sleep, and more money!!

Please think this matter through very thoroughly!!

For whatever it's worth, Brown7477, I drove for a few years because it was something that I had always wanted to do. I didn't have to rely upon the paycheck. I'm glad that I did it, but for me, and for other noobs out there who have clean records & MVR's, it is still a dammed tough industry, especially starting out.

These days, my interests involve both real estate and the energy industry; gas drilling, depleated well reclammation, and I'm alsoinvolved with a very "long term" venture in improving the efficiency of wind-power, as well a working to lobby for alternative fuel sources. (Particularly hemp oil; it's not a "cure-all", but it could easily lessen our demands for crude!!)

Real Estate is consuming less of my time, while the gas industry is consuming more of it

As I speak, I'm about 250 miles away from home, and I'm baby-sitting several wells. Trust me, there is plenty of work, and there are all too many guys who on drilling rigs who lose their jobs due to failed drug tests; that alone creates some element of turnover.
:borg:

Once again, BOL2U!!