Sorry to waste anyone's time but... I thought I was doin a good thing by getting my cdl. Studied the book,took the test,rented a truck,got my class a...but now it seems like I wasted my money because no one will hire me unless I spend another 2-4 grand on schooling...I'm not against going to school ,but I need a job to pay for it....does anyone have any advice on how or where I can start off?? Im 30 & I am serious about this new career. I can't find any companies to help cause my felony is 7 ,not 10 yrs past & 10-12$ a hr don't cut it with child support & bills...it'll take 4-6 months to save for school at that rate...can someone please point me in the right direction.

I would just keep checking with different carriers. You might check the company listings on this forum. It is at the top of the page. It lists various companies policies concerning felonies. Some carriers will hire felons after 5 years. Others require at least 10 years and other won't hire anyone with a felony in their background, regardless of elapsed time. Much of their decision will depend on the type of felony. Anything drug related is more problematic than other types of felonies. If that is the only thing on your criminal record and you have kept your nose clean since the conviction, you stand a much better time of getting a job than if you have a long criminal history.

You could try smaller carriers, but without experience it is difficult for a smaller carrier to cover you on their insurance. If you could find an independent owner who runs his own authority to take you under his wing and perhaps run you as a team for 6-12 months, it would give you some experience and more time would elapse since the conviction. There are carriers who train those who already have their CDL. Swift, Roehl, Millis, CRST are a few that I can think of off the top of my head. Even if they want you to commit for a minimum amount of time after training, you will have 6-12 months of current experience at the end. Sometimes you have to think outside of the box.

Swift will hire anyone with a heart beat and CR England will hire anyone heart beat or not.

I've got a couple buddies that got their license on their own, any carrier that would train somebody to get their CDL would take you. Theirs also local work with Beer / Coke / Pepsi etc, It's a stepping stone. I'm working for a Beer dist right now (In my first year) and averaging about $21/hr, home every night. So there IS work out there for you. Since you already have your lic you could also ask if a refresher course would make you hire-able.