Many felons find it really hard to find jobs after getting off their sentence, let along jobs with decent salaries. Being ex-convicts limits their ability to get hired by employers, most of whom have strict policies in hiring felons. The most promising, as well as felon-friendly with decent wages and many prospects, is the CDL jobs (CDL stands for Commercial Driver’s License). These truck driving jobs provide an open-road working condition with much safety and comfort. CDL jobs also offer the highest level of salaries for felons, thus felons tend to apply for these jobs after they have got out of jail.
Truck driving companies are often more open towards ex-convicts than those in other fields. However, whatever their level of friendliness and openness is, there are two types of felons that will never get hired into these companies and their application will immediately be rejected:
- Those convicted for distributing or possessing controlled substances
- Those involved in the use of force with a gun or a knife
The majority of employers work in accordance with guidelines and rules of Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), so if you are among these two types of felons, you should find another job to apply for. This also does not mean that any other type of felon, for any kind of felony, will surely get hired. The recruitment process also pays attention to your background information, e.g. your education level, criminal history, your felony and the number of years spent in prison, etc. and your competency for the job, e.g. attitude, health, patience, driving skills, etc.
Speaking of driving skills, felons have to obtain a CDL (Commercial Driver’s License) in order to be officially recognized as professional truck drivers to be more competent for the trucking driving job. There are a great number of truck driving schools around the country to which you can apply to obtain the license, yet the fees are quite high, especially for people with felonies. There are also various types of grants for felons, thus you can do some research to earn grants for your learning. Nonetheless, you should always check with the employer first on whether or not they require a CDL for their truck driver position. Some employers don’t require you to obtain CDL and some offer free training programs for their new workers.
CDL training program provides learners with multiple skills and knowledge for their truck driving career. The program covers specialized courses with a series of tests that learners have to pass in order to obtain the CDL. The CDL training course normally begins with training learners with knowledge about trucking driving, safety, technique theories, etc. for written exams. Then learners will move on to practice hours in a truck to gain driving skills, driving mind, get used to truck driving environment, tasks, etc. Most training programs aim at helping learners earn class A CDL, which allows holders to drive a tractor-trailer weighing over 26,000 pounds.
CDL training programs vary in length, training hours per day, contents, from school to school. There are 3 basic types of training schools in this field: programs held by community colleges, private trucking driving schools and schools organized by trucking companies. Each program and school has its own pros and cons, so learners need to do some research and evaluation before applying for their CDL.
CDL jobs are among the highest-paid and worker-friendly jobs that felons can apply for after getting out of jail. CDL training programs will give you sufficient knowledge and skills to be successful and competent for the truck driving jobs. There are various trucking companies as well as CDL training schools around the country, so felons will not have any difficulty finding one that suits their taste and one that can provide a stable career that pays well and gives felons opportunities to contribute to the society.