I think what the biggest hurdle in this case, is the probation is still active.
I don't think the offense is a disqualifier, as much as the fact it's still not completed.

Most of the major carriers will expect anywhere from 7 to 10 years of no criminal activity, from the date of the completion of the conviction.

I think any OTR job is going to be impossible, until all terms of a conviction are completed, and get at least a minimum of 3 years past that.

But it gets worse....
Felon's are not allowed to cross into Canada, without a Canadian pardon.
Many carrier's will not hire a felon, even if they have gone 10 years past the debt to society, if they are unable to enter Canada.
A Canadian pardon is very time consuming, and expensive. They also have a 10 year period of no criminal activity, before they will even consider a felon for a pardon.

You have actually been given a pretty darned easy start here Lad. Mr. Ford only stated the truth. You are in a tough spot, because of Insurance Companies and their policies. You have paid your price. You will just have to keep a stiff back, and start where you can. PROVE yourself, and eventually there will be plenty of decent jobs offered to you. Keep doing what you have been doing to fullfill your probation, keep knocking on doors, and you will get where you want to be.

There was a time, in this industry, when drivers were dispatched with far more drugs than you were arrested with, just to keep those willing drivers wired and running. Pills used to be handed out in the same bag as the trucks operating cash! Pot and coke WERE "minor" deals, 30 or so years ago, and nobody flinched when a prospective driver informed a "Carrier" that "he" had been popped for them. Now...with the "Sue Happy" society we live in........Insurance liability drives the hiring. That is just the facts of our life.

Thanks guys for the postive responces. I know im on the right track. Have been since years. The tough part is going to convince an employer of it. Your right Timberwolf, if givin a chance, id bust my ass, not because I fill I'd have somthing to prove, but because thats what I would be getting a pay check to do. Just gonna keep on keepin on.

You got a problem with the truth being given to you, then don't ask for help or toss out a comment like you did about ALL drivers being in trouble because of their teenage years. I never did anything that got me put in jail and neither has many truck drivers out there or on here, it's not holier than thou, we were simply smarter in those days to not screw around. Your just like my dumb as brother, he got locked up twice as a teenager. One was for reckless speed, 105 in a 65 and the other was receiving stolen property. He can't find a job anywhere that isn't Mickey D's and doesn't want to realize the truth, his teenage years are hurting him. He's cleaned up just like you say you have yet he doesn't like hearing the truth from me either.

It comes down to the insurance companies and how long ago your problem took place for most of the big companies. At this current time, with many people out of work, companies can pick and choose their new drivers as they please, they are going to go with one's who have clean records first and tell the rest to F off. You can still find a job driving, it might have to be for a very small owner operator style company kinda like GMAN runs instead of one of the big boys. You just have to keep digging and keep looking, hit all companies up that you come across, see what they have and ask them up front about your situation.

Ok then Mr Ford why has it worked out so well for me?? I came from an upscale home, never wanted for a damn thing had my license the minute i turned 16 and managed to have it suspended with in 10 months and then proceded to have it suspeneded again in my 20's (5 speeding tickets with in one month right after I bought my 67 Fastback) and my 30's (a DWAI)... As a teenager I was arrested twice, the scecond time was two weeks after i was taken off probation, all because the girl I was hanging out with was able to talk me into stupid choices as she was an amazing piece of.. well lets just say when she said jump I said how high and just like pavlo's dogs I was rewarded, so I just did without thinking.. and paid the price for it, to this day I don't regret my rewards however I do regret the choices I made. To many ppl on these boards like to judge others for choices they make or made, all of us are not as perfect as you and I feel very sad for you that you think your brother is a dumb ass, I was alway taught the fish stinks from the head first so maybe your brother needs to look at your parents for the lack of guidence he got because they were to busy doting over you... Or could it be that everyone makes choices in life some of us screw up and learn the hard way, others have every thing come to them easily. I would not take back my experiences for one second and they have made me a better man for living through them and learning from them.. The people who do not learn are the ones who need to go away and the people who have never experienced living on the edge really have no place to speak about the choices of others.. The next time you look at a photo of the Capital building in Denver think about me being a 16 year old kid and this girl who liked to reward me. She gave me a memory that will last my entire lifetime on the upper outdoor balcony of the capital building over looking Colfax. So the trouble she got me into after the fact was well worth this memory...
We all make mistakes and there is nothing wrong with speaking the truth as you did in your first post, I happen to think your second post was the harsh one...
With all due respect...

Timberwolf

There is a company listings on this forum that has many of the larger carriers posted along with their minimum hiring requirements. I would also check to see if there are any local carriers who may have any openings. I suggest that you ask carriers the reason they won't hire you to see if it is the active probation or simply that you have a felony conviction. Whether we like it or not, our past does follow us, but with passage of time the impact diminishes. Once you get your CDL your main obstacle will be to find a carrier that will train you. Each company has different policies when it comes to criminal convictions. You may want to check some of the container carriers and logging companies. There should be some of both fairly near you. It would help you gain some experience. How much longer will you be on probation?

Don't wait for anything! Next time you go to apply for work, tidy the place up a bit on your way in! Pick up the trash, mow the lawn, shovel the walk, paint the mailbox . . whatever seems appropriate. You need to show a prospective employer that you GET the whole work for nothing thing and that you're ready to do what it takes to help the team! Follow up on that Gman tip from above . . Gman really digs the whole work for free deal.

I'm a little curious, though. Why not get back in to dealing? Weed is legal, essentially, in at least 15 or 16 states. and your weed customers will never rat you out if you're slinging blow, too. Take it from one who knows, dealing money is a whole lot better than trucking money. I dealt my share of tonnage but managed not to get caught . . so here I am! I also drove about a quadrillion miles under the influence and never got caught. Does that make me holier than thou?

Unfortunately, a drug record will follow you for a long time after. A whole lot of kids that do that sort of thing don't believe they are hurting anybody. But, the fact is that they stand a good chance of getting caught, and then the results go on and on, and on...

I's suggest you start looking at the "driver requirements" for various companies. You didn't see it as much a few years ago, but now, many of them list it as "NO DUI, NO DRUG RELATED OFFENSES". EVER... And, the number grows every year. With a number of companies, being able to cross the boarder into Canada is also required. If you can not go into Canada, you're out of luck. And, a drug conviction will keep you out of there just as well as a DUI.

I don't know what part of the country you are from, or in, but I do know a company in Central WI that just might. The owner's brother spent time in prison for drug offenses, and is currently an owner/operator there. They also run mostly east from there. I can't say they will hire you, because blood relation may have it's priviledge. I can't say that they have anyone else that has a record. Send me a PM if interested.

The “no felonies ever” mind set has become more prevalent primarily because of the bad economy. When the demand for new drivers is small, like it is now, companies can be
more selective in their hiring criteria. Why would I want to take a chance on a felon if I had 50 recruits just like him or her who are all similarly qualified?

Kth332, would you trust some guy just in off the street who has a prison reccord with your $90k truck, $50k trailer (if, no pun intended, it’s a reefer trailer) and a load that might be worth a million dollars or more, 1000 miles from your nearest terminal with no way to supervise him? What about if he has an accident and his past is brought during the inevitable lawsuit? What is there is some question as to whether or not he was under the influence, or what if they find narcotics in the truck after the accident? Do you realize that in the last few years, trucking companies have been successfully sued for millions even when their drivers weren’t actually at fault in the accident itself?

You are trying to break into an industry that is hyper-paranoid about being sued. If they actually NEEDED you, some might actually think about hiring you, but in this economy? Why would they take the chance? My best advice is try to get a job as a trailer jockey with a smaller company, or some kind of local delivery company that would send a helper with you. That way, they are risking much less than an OTR company because you’d have a babysitter. Then after you garner some experience, start petitioning the safety department of that company for something better.

I’m pretty sure that nobody here has posted anything you wanted to read, but much of it is sound advice. As you NOW know, life doesn’t often give people second chances. Once you screw up once, you are forever looked at by many people as a piece of s**t. There is little getting around this fact, and the only sensible response is to refuse to give up. You may have to be creative and take “the road less traveled” to paraphrase Robert Frost, but if you are tenacious and resourceful enough, you’ll find a way to make this work for you.

It sucks but this is good info! Also look into dump trucks , garbage hauling (not picking it up) stuff like that , find niche that others overlooked or don't want