Truck Driving Jobs

smitty86 · #1 06-11-2013, 03:17 PM

hey everyone, my name is Steven, i'm 27 years old and i am interested in getting my CDL. I've lived in germany for the last 25 years, served 8 years in the german army (3 years as a truck driver, crane driver/ operator etc.)
I went to South Carolina 4 weeks ago.
But now i have a two problems, i don't know witch truck driving school i should take and the other problem is, i got arrested last weekend for
"Breach of Peace" so i have a ticket because of that....
Can i still become a truck driver because of that?
I apologize but my writing skills are limited haven't speak or write english in germany for the last 25 years.

I hope you guys can help me.

GMAN · #2 06-11-2013, 07:23 PM

You may have a few obstacles to overcome, but others have immigrated and gotten into the business. The arrest may or may not present a problem. Companies will be more interested in convictions. If it is a felony, then it will be a problem if you have a conviction. Misdemeanors are not usually a problem as long as you don't have several of them. Most carriers will not hire felons until the conviction is at least 5-7 years old. You didn't mention whether the charge was a felony or misdemeanor. There are community colleges and state vocational schools all over the country that offer commercial driving courses. These are usually less costly than the private schools but will normally take longer to complete. There are also carriers who offer training and an opportunity to get your CDL, but will require that you sign an employment agreement. That means that you will be required to work for them for a certain time period or repay them for your training. Most require that you give them 1 year of your labor to forgive the training cost. CRST may still only require 6 months. Before spending money on training, I would recommend you find out about the charge and go from there.

smitty86 · #3 06-11-2013, 08:48 PM

Thank's for the answer!

Sorry i forgot, i'm a us citizen but i lived in Germany.
How do i know if it's a felony or a misdemeanor?
My court date is July 02.
We have a SWIFT company in Columbia and they have their own driving school that's all i know so far.

GMAN · #4 06-12-2013, 12:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by smitty86

Thank's for the answer!

Sorry i forgot, i'm a us citizen but i lived in Germany.
How do i know if it's a felony or a misdemeanor?
My court date is July 02.
We have a SWIFT company in Columbia and they have their own driving school that's all i know so far.

I thought that you might be from Germany since you mentioned being in the German Army. Being an American citizen should work more in your favor than were you a foreign national. You can call the court where your case will be heard and they can tell you whether it is a felony or not. If you have hired an attorney then they should be able to tell you if it is a felony.

smitty86 · #5 06-27-2013, 03:05 PM

Okay GMAN thanks for the answer!
My attorney said it won't be a felony.
So what should i do? make the cdl without a trucking school, or with a trucking school (we have a SAGE school in columbia) or should i try to get my cdl with a trucking company like swift or schneider?
I heard about people who graduated from a trucking school, and weren't be able to get a job as a trucker, because they had no experience and on and on...
What's your opinion?