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Apparently, felons are recruited to drive trucks because there is a shortage of drivers, due to more stringent security and safety regulations enacted after 9/11.
What is the solution? Well, I have my own idea, but what do others think should be done, here?
Yes, I think most American rather have truckers with Felonies on the road and out of prision THAN on the streetcorner selling crack AGAIN.
If you cannot give them A job (any job, really), then the person will be desperate and go back to crime. Most poeple with felonies cannot even get a job at Taco Bell!! How are you supposed to re-join society after "paying your dent to society" in prison?
Furthermore, it is better to have AMERICAN legal workers drive trucks than illegal aliens.
If we cannot give felons a job AFTER their debt to society is paid, then they will go back to prison. That cost taxpayers money and it is counter-productive and not what The Founding Fathers had in mind.
What should be done about the shortage of drivers?
Tell the DOT to stop making it so freakin difficult for the drivers to get their jobs done. If a guy spends more than 2 hours at loading dock, he's messed up for the rest of his trip. The log book rules have gone too far.
My husband drove up until 99 when he got hurt. Had he not gotten hurt, he still most likely would have gotten out of it. The money isn't what it used to be, especially if you're an owner operator.
Yes, I think most American rather have truckers with Felonies on the road and out of prision THAN on the streetcorner selling crack AGAIN.
If you cannot give them A job (any job, really), then the person will be desperate and go back to crime. Most poeple with felonies cannot even get a job at Taco Bell!! How are you supposed to re-join society after "paying your dent to society" in prison?
Furthermore, it is better to have AMERICAN legal workers drive trucks than illegal aliens.
If we cannot give felons a job AFTER their debt to society is paid, then they will go back to prison. That cost taxpayers money and it is counter-productive and not what The Founding Fathers had in mind.
I agree with you! I don't see a big problem with a felon driving a truck unless he's been convicted of criminal vehicular fatality (hit and run, DUI, etc.). I would be concerned about a driving record more than another type of criminal record. Obviously some felons are not allowed to leave their county or state of residence (while on parole/probation) so they would be limited in what type driving job they would get.
That would be nice, but the rates are getting cut. With the fuel costs, sticker costs and everything else, that's a hard thing to do. Trucking companies compete to carry loads, and they will undercut the next guy to get that job. When you get paid by the mile, that goes down. When my husband owned his own truck, the normal pay per mile was in the $.39-$.45 per mile. I think now it's in the high 20's. That's not alot when you consider that if you do own your own truck, the truck gets paid before you do.
So how can trucking companies pay these low wages? Are they hiring illegals?
Not really. You have to remember that long haul drivers can put upwards of 3500 miles per week under them. So while that might look like alot, once you pay the truck, it's not.
Company drivers are a different story. They get paid differently. They get paid per drop, wait time, etc. (Not all companies do that, though) I've known people that get into truck driving when they can't get anything else. The downside to that is that you're on a never-never plan. They do the training, get you your CDL and all that, but then you have to pay them back while you're working for them.
It's hard these days to hire illegals to drive a truck unless they have a stolen ss# and a valid drivers license. Trucking companies do background checks. Hiring someone that has a felony record isn't a bad thing, but to the best of my knowledge, they can't get a hazardous endorsement. The one thing someone with a felony can't do, is cross a border with a load. Can't go into Canada or Mexico.
Then we have poorly trained drivers as a result? It sounds to me like we need stricter requirements and increased pay for truckers, and I mean driver training, not filtering out criminals. I gotta say, I've always been nervous when driving next to a big truck on the highway. There's nothing more dangerous on the road than a poor truck driver (IMO), well, except for drunks.
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