I clicked on the testimonials and read this one:

Dude,

My frind and I sparked a dube the size of a baby 4arm last night, put on backside of the moon and spaced out for a wile. Thats when my old lady (mom) came down to the bacement and told me I had a gob intreview in the mornin. I took sum of your yourin pills and I past no problum. I am now a fri kook at Mackdonelds.

Tanks again

:lol: "the size of a baby 4arm"!

I bet it was at 4:20

I am always skeptical when I see someone trash a former employer. They are usually trying to cover up their own behavior by focusing blame on their employer. They can always find a reason the employer terminated their employment or they left. It could have been that the dispatcher didn't treat them nice so they abandoned their truck. They are then surprised when the employer wants them to pay for recovery costs and may withhold their last paycheck to help pay for those costs. So they trash their employer on the Internet. They could have tested positive or refused to take a random drug test so it is their employers fault. It had nothing to do with them taking drugs or drinking. They embezzled money or sold fuel and got caught. They are surprised when their employment is terminated or if the employer can prove it has them arrested. It is difficult to prove to the court that a driver is selling fuel, but it is easy for the company to detect.

It is in the carrier's best interest to keep good, reliable drivers. Recruiting new people is very costly for companies. There is no reason to terminate a driver who is doing a good job unless something such as the current economy comes into play. Yet, there are those who continue to blame the employer for their woes.

When I read or hear about a driver trashing their former employer or trying to cause them problems then I suspect that there is more to the story that they are not telling. MUCH MORE!! If you have a problem with a former employer you address the issue with them. You don't go on a Internet forum and spew your venom. I always take things such as that with a grain of salt.

I will say this. Out of all three companies that I attended orientation maybe I did not give Arrow a fair shake. I mean I left one in pain, one never gave me a ride but with Arrow I read a lot of bad stuff here and one other message boards. I read how they were so bad and were bottom feeders. When I got to orientation I had a preconceived idea that they were just that. So when I saw they had 70 plus per class, most had criminal records and all the trucks abandoned all over the country I thought, they were right. Maybe I should have stayed. Maybe they would have been a good fit for me. I now know that most negative stuff here is only one sided. Live and learn.

While you can find a lot of useful info on the net it is hard to filter out the BS from the truth.

When talking about hiring people with criminal records I think it is important to take into consideration what the record is for. Is it for something major or is it for something minor?

While many people can and do go through their entire life without any real run ins with the law it actually is not that hard to wind up with a record that will follow you forever.

I would not discount hiring a driver simply because he had a criminal record. It would depend on the offense and the rest of his background check. It isn't as difficult as you may think to get a criminal record these days. A friend of mine got a ticket a few months ago at a weigh station. It turned out to be a misdemeanor. He had just leased on with a carrier and forgot to take his old expired tag off his truck. I believe that he had his cab card, but left the old tag on the truck. All they wanted is a fine and court costs, but the offense is considered a misdemeanor. So now he has a criminal record. He was extremely upset that he now has a criminal record for something so simple. There are a couple of states where you can be charged with a felony for simply having a gun in your vehicle. In most of the western states or south we don't think as much about having guns. Many of us hunt. Get into some of the communist states such as New York, Massachusetts or California and you could be in serious trouble.

Some states will charge you with a DWI or DUI if you are sitting in a parked car with the key in the ignition or refuse to take a BAC. I think most states consider these alcohol related charges as misdemeanors. Some may consider them as a felony. I think Canada considers them as a felony. We have some nutty laws in this country. You need to look more closely at the charge and total record of the individual. If someone is a habitual offender then I would likely not hire them. One of the best drivers that I have had was a convicted felon. He made a mistake a number of years prior to applying with me. Large carriers would not even talk to him. I checked him out and gave him a chance. He did a good job for me. I have had some with no criminal records who have not done nearly as well.

Apparently, you are having difficulty getting on with any carrier. I believe you stated that Arrow was willing to give you another chance. I don't see as you have anything to lose. I believe you stated that you only have 14 months experience. It is much easier to find a driving position when you have at least 2 years of solid work experience. I don't know much about Arrow. I would also not discount a carrier simply because they had a lot of turnover. The average annual turnover in this industry is about 136%, as I recall. That is only an average. Some will have more and others less. I am not trying to sell you on Arrow or any other carrier, but if you want to get back into this industry then you need to step back and check your options. If you stay away too long then it will be necessary to take a refresher course. That will be expensive. As I stated, you can't believe everything you read on the Internet about a particular carrier. I don't recall anything negative being written about Arrow on this forum. Regardless of whom you finally go with I would count on staying with them for at least a year, no matter what. It will help to over come some of what has taken place in your background. You will find things that you don't like about any job.

As sh*tty of a job as it is... try Food Service Delivery. Most only require 6 months (or less) and the pay is... well... adequate. Do that untill you get your 24 months and move on if you wish. There are a lot of companies who only require 2 years "tractor trailer" experience... not necessarily "OTR" experience. Pay no attention to the "Sky is falling/Gloom and Doom" bunch around here... you'll find something. Good luck.

Now THAT was funny!!! Now I remember why I dont eat at Mickey D's very often.