DUI
 

Okay, so I had my CDL and drove for Trans Am and then left there to pursue another local non-driving job. About six months later I received a DUI. I know, I know I know very dumb and not something that I will ever live down. I do not get my CDL back until Jan of next year. In all reality if I intended on returning to the road am I really looking at 5+ years before any company will take me? What would be the right course of action between now and then if I did intend on returning to an OTR job? I have a good job (insurance industry) but the cubicle life tires me at times and I want to return to the open road but figure that I am pretty much screwed right now! Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks!

You may be able to get a driving job much sooner then 5 years, but it wont be with an "A" company for sure.

Do you consider Trans Am an "A" company? If that is possible then that would be good news!

I live here in Omaha so Werner in our book is an "A" company! =)

Re: DUI
 

if you aren't right now, you will be by the companies that will take you, walk home next time. :D ,

Oh keep looking someone will give you a chance, just hope, they don't use you because of your circumstances. Watch out for that, and stay way from bottom feeder companies, the cubicle will look like a vacation in Hawaii in comparision.

TW

you did say any advice, so there ya go. :D 8)

Yes, the cab ride or the call to the wife or the walk or anything would of been the best option and that is something that I will regret forever!

I agree sometimes the "cube" is not that bad, but if you would rather be somewhere else the walls are pretty tiring for sure!

With a DUI on your record and the number of good, long time, drivers (companies closeing the door) on the market don't hold your breath. Even the small Mom and Pop's are going out of the market for a driver with a DUI as the insurace won't accept them and then what do you do with a real good paying load that goes into Canada ?
Last years I wanted to take 3 months off and found a driver to fill in, went thru three of them before insurance would accept one, one was 17 years ago.

Stick with the cubicle life...... at least you cannot kill anyone there.....

There is no room in this industry for people who have received a DUI, especially those having a CDL....

Yes you are right I cannot kill anyone there, but I am a claims manager for a large life insurance company. I have seen it all and know it all as far as the risks go. So I understand completely what I have done. I am also a Private Pilot and have consequences on that end too!

I know that it will be a tough road and I am probably not going to find anything that would closely resemble what I had had before that day. It was a good feeling to not have ANYTHING on my record for ANY violation. But, you know sometimes you get complacent and fall down..

So I guess that I did not ask one question with this. I see on the profiles for the carriers that it is a 5 year window for a dui. Is that strictly enforced or is that something that can change? I know that insurance has allot to do with that so just wondering.

Thanks!

you know, this kind of answer just bugs me a bit. Yeah, a DUI sucks and is a mistake, which the poster already recognizes. But, something like this that happened on his own time in a personal vehicle and completely away from the job doesnt at all reflect on his professional life.There are a ton of CDL drivers out on the road that are completely useless in their personal life(not calling the poster useless, just making a point.) that just cant get anything right but are great at being truck drivers. To simply dismiss someone and say they are just complete losers and have no business in the industry because of one mistake in their outside life is just ridiculous and something a self righteous person says because they think they are the best on the road and are free from ever screwing up at any level.YEah, making this mistake definitely has an impact on driving career choices but to just completely say he has no business in the industry at all is just way off. If this was something that happened on the job in his truck, then yeah, he has no business being out there, but thats not the case, this guy was probably a very professional responsible guy when doing his job and what he did in his personal life as a one time mistake is far from meaning he has no business in the industry.There are drivers with sleeping dis orders and heart problems that pose more of a threat to the general public in a truck than a one time DUI offender in his spare time in his personal vehicle. Every story and incident has 2 sides and you cant just put a broad generalization on every single thing like that........now waiting for the witty I know more than you do I own my own trucking business and you are dumb Big D response.

Thank you for that response. I agree that it was something terrible to do and trust me it will never happen again.

You are right about the personal and professional lives being separate. There are many "professional" people out there who have made mistakes and some have changed their habits and some have not. Thank you for post!

OMAPILOT:

Your screen name and avatar suggest you enjoy small airplanes. Might even suggest you have a recreational or private pilot's license.

Did you know that your motor vehicle record has an impact on your ability to fly even the smallest airplane?

Did you know that if the FAA finds out about your DUI, your pilot's license will be revoked?

Didn't you read his post?

He already mentioned the fact there were implications regarding his FAA license

get off this guys back.......he know he made a mistake and knows he will pay dearly for it.
we know you all are perfect and have never made a mistake in judgement..........right! :!:

Actually, no. I did not read his post. Seems like every week on here there's some loser either 1) wondering out loud to a bunch of internet strangers what are his odds of scoring in the lottery of life after being convicted of something stupid or 2) repenting and lamenting ad nauseum the decision that has forever altered their ability to obtain gainful employment.

Most of the time it's just plain faster and easier to skim the threads.

Then of course, for every guy who wants to testify about their tribulation there's always some other dolt telling us to "geez back off he made a mistake" or some such...yeah tell that to the living relatives of the now dead, because somebody got drunk and smashed into them... :roll:

Hey HWD, what's it like having a holier than thou attitude? Make you feel good does it? Must be nice to be perfect. I imagine it wouldn't take any time at all to dig into your past and find something you are ashamed of.

Insurance is really the 800 lb gorilla in the hiring process.
my company can't hire anyone with less than 2 years of experience because of insurance.
a DUI may not be a total deal-breaker. but it will affect hiring options. It has nothing to do with the mood of the hiring company, but with the forces that control the industry.
so if someone says "you have a DUI, we can't hire you," it's not personal. Even if you say "pretty please" it could well be out of their hands.

I dont think anyone mentioned him samshing into anyone and killing them...saying what you say suggests that every DUI has a fatality. Yeah, DUI=dumb mistake...I think its a little off base though to label everyone with a DUI a family killer. You can get a DUI for pulling out of your driveway and driving 2 houses down in your neighborhood after drinking one beer. You dont know what ther circumstances of this guys DUI was, whether dumb or not, its a bit stupid to label everyone on earth with a DUI a manslaughterer.

Man-ah-live BD...are those beattles over yer eyes or what???


Trim them suckers please...their kreepy.

Here, I disagree.

Particularly in this aspect, private life is NOT separate from professional. CDL means you are supposed to be a professional driver. Doesn't matter what you are driving, you approach it professionally.

Whether he likes whips and chains or prefers a chiffon tutu - now, THAT is immaterial to his profession.

I don't claim to know much about any - to say nothing of all - the national carriers, but I'd be amazed of you can land a job with any of them in the next three years. You MIGHT get something locally - dump, cement, etc.

If I were hiring, as soon as I saw that DUI, the app would get sent to /dev/null

Hey there, You are right I am a private pilot working on my instrument rating. I did have to file to the FAA within 60 days of the offense. I will also have to report it every time I go to renew my medical for the rest of my life. The FAA is pretty specific as to what they will do to you if you dont report the offense, they really dont do anything to you on the first offense. The second time around well that is a different matter. There will be no second time around for me so I am not even going to worry about that!

Thanks guys for sticking up for me, it was a bad decision that will never repeat itself. I do value the input from those who want to come down hard too, believe me I have heard it over and over and over again!

Actually, no. I did not read his post. Seems like every week on here there's some loser either 1) wondering out loud to a bunch of internet strangers what are his odds of scoring in the lottery of life after being convicted of something stupid or 2) repenting and lamenting ad nauseum the decision that has forever altered their ability to obtain gainful employment.

Most of the time it's just plain faster and easier to skim the threads.

Then of course, for every guy who wants to testify about their tribulation there's always some other dolt telling us to "geez back off he made a mistake" or some such...yeah tell that to the living relatives of the now dead, because somebody got drunk and smashed into them... :roll:[/quote]


First of all I am not some looser as suggested. If you did read the post before commenting I have a good job and make a very nice living. I have a wife of 10+ years and a 6 week old daughter. I fly almost every weekend for lunch somewhere with my buddies just because we can! There was a reason that I got into driving, because I wanted to and for some odd reason I actually found it rewarding!

I do appreciate your opinion and you are more than entitled to it, but please dont drop that "looser looking for gainful employment" attachment on me.

:roll:

So.... what you are saying is..... it's easier NOT to read the posts / testimonies of drivers who've made a mistake and are looking for advice.... and just EASIER to lump them all in a category with the stupidest of 4wheelers who do the SAME..... EVERY NIGHT.... and cause MOST of the accidents! :roll:

Because YOU have never made this mistake.... you put yourself ABOVE anyone who HAS! And you proclaim that "there is no place for you in our industy" when you know FULL WELL there are "career" drivers out there (especially those grandfathered in under chauffeur's licenses) who have done the SAME or WORSE.... either in their PERSONAL lives..... or behind the wheel of a CMV!!??? Are you NUTS??? :roll:

I'm getting a little BORED with this comeback of "tell it to the relatives" crap! MORE people are killed due to drunk drivers in POV's than in trucks.... by a magnitude of THOUSANDS!! To say that a person who has MADE such a mistake, and LEARNED from it, cannot be as PROFESSIONAL behind the wheel of a CMV as YOU "tee-toatallers" is pure BULLSH!T!!! :shock: :lol:

Why don't you guys TELL THE TRUTH?? For MANY years, before regulation, drivers took all KINDS of drugs to keep them awake so they could max out their miles! Some of them just liked stopping by a bar for a beer or two, because it made them "calmer" while they drove! You guys are nothing special! And you are actually a MINORITY in the trucking industry! :shock:

I UNDERSTAND your concerns! I don't want to be responsible for killing 1/8th of Twilight's family in a minibus accident either! [There's a JOKE in there, if anyone can SEE it!] But, the fact that I MAY have had a DUI somewhere in my past, in my PRIVATE vehicle, has NO bearing on my ability to drive a CMV in a PROFESSIONAL manner! :roll:

Any of you YAHOOS who continuously post such nonsense can kiss my butt..... and I'll challenge ANY of you to a driving contest riight NOW! I'll give you a 10 point "advantage" for all the WHINING you've done over the years.... and I'll outshift, outdrive and outpark MOST if not all of you!

Furthermore, I'll out"scope" the road, and know where the dangers are! WHAT do YOU know.... when you drive in an elephant train everyday?? :roll:

What we HAVE here, folks.... is a bunch of SANCTIMONIOUS "WIMPS" who think ALL drivers should be like THEM! :shock:

Well, I got NEWS for some of ya! YOU ani't "all that" and this job isn't THAT hard! :roll: By your OWN admission, truckers aren't the "knights of the road" they ONCE were, for many reasons that I will NOT argue with, and those of you who find it HARD, these days, to deal with traffic and such.... just MIGHT need to retire for lack of SKILLS!

And for CHRIST'S sake.... put down your "BENNIE's" and quit proselityzing against those who've taken a "toke" now and then! :roll:

There's a single TYPO in there..... I'll give a DOLLAR to the first sanctimounious driver who can find it! :roll:

ani't


DUI fatalities alcohol or drug related . . 47% in POV and 11% CMV as per the transportation research board (trb.org)

sanctimounious . . $2.00. I'm off to set up a PayPal account.

Double your money if you can find the OTHER two! :lol: :lol:

I WOULD "edit" and correct them.... but SOMEONE might whine about it being a "cut in their pay!" :shock: :lol: :lol:

I nominate Golfhobo for post of the day. couldnt have stated it better myself. great post.

Great points made Hobo. Great post! Next time through Indy...give me a call. Coffee's on you. (Starbucks)
:D
-industy
-tee-toatallers
-riight
-proselityzing

Wow!! Okay.... so I don't always get time to proofread my posts! I don't use "speelcheck!" :lol:

I was in a hurry that night!! Belpre, you got a deal! Heck, I'll buy you a steak dinner for the same money as a Starbucks "mumble mumble cafe latte with mumble mumble! :shock: :lol:

I don't "DO" puzzy coffee! And, so far.... I don't do "Indy!" :lol:

But, someday..... I'm gonna DO "solo" and I'll probably get by there! Would love to see that "Wheelie machine" you drive! :lol:

What the heck IS a "tea-totaller" anyways?

Good post hobo...you hit a hole-in-one. For crying out loud people, get off the guys back. It doesn't take many drinks to get a DUI. You can probably get one from drinking too much cough medicine. He made a mistake and knows it, now he has to deal with the consequenses. And most of you that's putting the man down, can't tell me you never drove a car after a few drinks...............you just never got caught.

Exactly Hitman, they seem to forget about those things though................

Great post Hobo! No one is PERFECT and everyone should atleast deserve a 2nd chance! I know I'm not perfect, I make mistakes just like each and every person on this board. Like last Feb I got a ticket, do I regret it? Hell yeah I do even though I paid to have it taken off my record! To say a he is a loser or a bad person cause he has a DUI is wrong. Hell there are people who are out of prison who have changed and you wouldn't know unless they told you! I can't stand people who think they are "perfect"! Nothing is perfect in this world, our government isn't perfect, our families are not perfect and we're all human so we're gonna make mistakes! If your so perfect you might as well be God! Sorry if I offend anyone with that last statement!

I agree with you Hobo. While the industry does place a severe stigma upon drug and alcohol use, for the obvious reasons, for drivers to write off someone as a looser for one DUI with no accident, injury or fatality (from what we've been told) is pretty sanctimonious at best.

Hell, my neighbor was a driver for a small time outfit here in OKC two years back. He was embattled in a divorce and was having major bouts of depression. I told him about the apartments I live in (cheap digs at $365 a month) so he could stay away from his soon to be ex. depression got the better of him and he turned to the bottle. He got a DUI, from some bs small town cop. He claims he was below the legal limit, but it's pretty easy to make .04 which he apparently forgot. His boss was pissed to say the least and while he couldn't put him back on driving status he did get him a job in the office as a dispatcher because he had a good record and the boss knew from me that he had been going though a divorce. He has been doing well and has been waiting out his DUI to get back on the road. Did he learn his lesson? Hell yes. Will it haunt him for the rest of his life? Probably. Does this make him a lesser man? No. WE ALL MAKE MISTAKES. Some just don't learn their lesson the first time.