No one is saying that you felons arent foregiven or given a chance to succeed in this country. However, that doesnt mean we should just forget about criminal records. When you CHOOSE to commit a felony, you are choosing to possibly get caught and have to pay for it for the rest of your life. Which is exactly what a felony is, a crime so serious that you HAVE to pay for it the rest of your life.

 

just MORE crooks who want to blame their past on someone, ANYONE else....Nice to know the companies that DO hire felons though. I'll make sure every shipper I know doesn't use them...Wow, I wonder how Harley Davidson (TRL's customer) would feel about their hiring policy ?? Everyone can be as nice or as politically correct as you want. Once a crook, ALWAYS a crook.....oh, and its just NOT TOO HARD to go through life NOT dealing drugs or being a thief or just in general screwing your fellow man. Make all the excuses you want, that's all they are, excuses for BAD choices...that YOU made.

 

How about those of us whom always understood the difference between right & wrong.....and choose to always do the right thing...even if it made us Dullards in the eyes of others???


Do we get a thanks??

 

How about those of us whom always understood the difference between right & wrong.....and choose to always do the right thing...even if it made us Dullards in the eyes of others???


NOPE...they are to busy justifing those who CHOOSE to break the law; big difference btween making a mistake and breaking the law - choices and consequences

 

I wanted to stay out of this discussion because as an ex-felon, everything I say people are going to say i am just making excuses or not taking responsibility. Let me say this to all of you; I have come to realize that life IS about CHOICES. Everything we do is a CHOICE. Whenever we break the law it is a CHOICE. Whether it is speeding, faking logs, or whatever. EVERYONE MAKES THAT CHOICE. Now, it has nothing to do with right or wrong. Growing up we all learn those lesson. Even a bank robber knows its wrong to rob a bank but his CHOICE is to do so anyway. When you speed, you know it is wrong, but you do it anyway.

That said, there are those who grow up and don't think they have a CHOCIES. That they have to do what they do because they see no better way.

My felony is over 22 years ago. I am not asking anyone to look past that. What I am asking, because i feel it is right to ask, is look at that last 14 years ALSO. I have no trouble answering for the mistake i made (and it was a mistake. I have only one arrest) but also, ask me about my 14 years since work history. Ask me how I have contributed to society? Ask me about the boys and girls in my home town that I have been working with for the past 10 years. (6 girls 5 boys all in trouble when we met. Of the 11 none have been in trouble again. 6 have graduated HS and are in college. 2 graduated with honors. The others will graduate after this school year) . Ask me about the jobs i have held down in the last 14 years. A business school teacher (I have earned 2 college degrees and a teaching certificate since I have been home), a job with IBM (gave them an idea that saved them 1.2 million dollars over 5 years), and most recently with a diagnostics firm as a supervisor. Talk to me and ask me questions, hear my responses. Yes, if you read my case you get one opinion, but meet me, talk to me you will surely get another. Is anybody out there the same person they were 14 years ago? Have you not learned anything? Had different experiences? And maybe become a better person, husband, wife, child, employee, boss because of it.

We live in a country of second chances. The thing is find those who deserve a second chance. Find those who have changed and are making a difference. I guarantee if you met me on the road you would like me right off the back. Would that change if you found out about my past? Most people can't believe it when i tell them. They ask me, how? You don't seem like that type.

Everyone is trying to make a life for themselves and their family. If you keep condeming people to failure and lack of hope, then don't be surprised when they go back to a life of crime.

 

See now...here you went and made a "Prime" example of yourself. Instead of making excuses for whatever it was you did, you went and admitted that you made a choice, and that it was a bad choice to make. You didn't snivel about how you have to be given anything. What you did do, is admit that you corrected your decision making proccess, then stepped up to the plate at home, and worked to help other's at home, whom were in danger of making wrong choices, learn what it means to make the right choices.

Who can't respect someone willing to do that. Given what you just posted, I'm willing to bet, that you aren't one of those, whom sit in driver's lounges, and pat yourself on the back for having made bad choices, for having gotten away with making those bad choices, and see no need to be remorseful, of bad choices.
I don't know you...don't know what the last 14 years have done for you, or you for them. However, I can and do respect that you have stood up for what you did, took the action to change the direction of your path, and helped others to see and change their path.

That deserves a hearty pat on the back, and a GOOD FOR YOU !!!

 

orangetxguy, thanks for your kind words. And your are right. I don't look for others to affirm me, i do that everyday myself. I only said those thing to make folks see that lumping all people in the same basket is cruel and heartless. If i were to meet one a**hole truck driver I wouldn't lump all drivers into that same basket.

Unforutnately, we don't live in that world. Some places in this country don't care about your past. Like schools. My college didn't care that I had dropped out of HS or had been in prison. They were willing to give me what I needed at the time. If i took it great, if not they lost nothing. Hospitals don't care either. Come in sick and they will do what the need to do to make you better.

I am not a driver yet. So i haven't had the oportunity to sit in drivers lounges yet. I am trying but like the original poster, I get turned down at every corner. I am working with a recruiter from Roadmaster to help find a company that will give me a chance. And so here we are again, 14 years of great things means nothing because of one day 22 years ago. In this country if that is not the height of hipocrisy i don't know what is. But, I have faith there is one company out there will to give me that shot.

 

no there isn't...and thats not hypocrisy, it's reality....get a grip

 

garyavp dont pay any mind to that ups jerk who says you cant i go for my second interview & hire date with tinker airforce base in okc friday i will be hauling fuel for planes and i have two felones the gov. looked at my work record and not so much my past i did have to explain every thing and talk to some top commanders on the fuel line and they still want to give me a shot dont let people like that ups jerk say it cant be done it can