Suggestions, advice, and some hope for truckers who are felons like I am

by Alex
(Pennsylvania)

I've gotten four jobs driving trucks since my 2003 felony conviction. One was with a private manufacturing company, with two big trucks, after asking me about the details of what I had done. They hired me in 2005 and have since gone out of business.

Another company, Sunrise Trucking in Tucson, AZ, hired me in 2008. They do road construction work, will hire felons, are still in business, and is a great company to work for, although the work is not steady.

I got hired at another company, which was small and family owned, hauling drive away tow away trucks, which I eventually left. The owners were nice and gave me the opportunity to work there after meeting with me in person. This was also part time and on-call work.

I most recently was hired by LCL Bulk Transport in PA, their main office being in Green Bay, WI, and they, too, asked me details about what I had done, and hired me. They haul liquid bulk food products, which I didn't enjoy doing, and quit, but they did hire me and give me the chance to work for them, which I appreciated very much.

I'm looking for an OTR job now, which I did years ago, during the 90's, and I've noticed it's gotten more difficult than even for a felon to be hired.

I think it's best to call or email recruiters and ask about their felony policy, so as not to waste anyone's time. In my experience looking for work as a felon, whether in trucking or not, I've found it's best to look for work with smaller, family owned companies, where you can talk to the owner, or someone close to him/her, in person. This way you're not treated as a number but as a person, and most people are willing to give convicted felons a chance to prove themselves to be good employees.

Of course the shittier the job the more likely it will be to get hired, because companies have a hard time finding people to do difficult work. So companies that are always looking for drivers, because they have high turn over, might possibly willing to give us a break, if only because they need a warm body in the truck to drive it.