Warehouse: open to most records, decided by policy
No federal law bars a person with a conviction from picking, packing, loading, sorting or driving a forklift. The employer's policy and your state's timing rules decide. In 15 states and the District of Columbia a private employer may not ask on the initial application; the list is on ban the box laws by state. Most large warehouse employers run a background check after a conditional offer; what it shows is on background checks explained.
Employers with published policies covering plant, distribution and production work, from their own pages:
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| Employer | Where the policy applies | What the employer says | Source and date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kroger | Manufacturing plants, starting with two Cincinnati-area dairy and food plants | New Beginnings program formed in 2017 with local agencies and nonprofits; more than 40 associates hired, 93 percent retention, expansion to other plants planned | thekrogerco.com, undated, accessed October 2026 |
| KeHE Distributors | Distribution centers for natural and specialty grocery products | Second Chance Business Coalition member since October 9, 2024; fair chance hiring is part of its Hidden Talent initiative; names FreeWorld, a CDL training program for formerly incarcerated people, as a partner | kehe.com, October 9, 2024, and 2026 |
| Koch Industries and Georgia-Pacific | Mills and plants, for example the Madison, Georgia plywood mill | Removed the criminal history question from applications in 2015; "Creating Second Chances" hiring strategy since 2020 | news.gp.com, November 2021 |
| Dave's Killer Bread | Bakery production, Oregon | Hires "the best person for the job, regardless of criminal history"; has actively hired people with criminal backgrounds for nearly 20 years | daveskillerbread.com, accessed October 2026 |
| Greyston Bakery | Bakery production, New York | Open Hiring: no resumes, background checks or interviews; first come, first served, then paid training | greyston.org, accessed October 2026 |
Retail chains with big distribution networks appear on the Second Chance Business Coalition's member list as of October 2026: Walmart, Target, Home Depot, Lowe's, Best Buy, Macy's, Walgreens and CVS (secondchancebusinesscoalition.org). Membership is a public commitment, not a hiring rule; we found no separate fair chance statement on those employers' own sites, so read each posting's background-check line.
Seasonal warehouse hiring is often the easiest door because volume is high and the process is fast: seasonal jobs and from seasonal to permanent. Pay by role and city: pay benchmarks. One exception: port and maritime jobs that need a TWIC card use the same TSA list of disqualifying crimes as the hazmat endorsement (49 CFR 1572.103, below).
Driving: three levels of rules
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| Role | License | Federal criminal-record rule | What employers add |
|---|---|---|---|
| Delivery van, box truck under 26,001 pounds, shuttle | Regular license | None | A motor vehicle record check and the employer's own policy. See driver jobs that do not need a CDL. |
| Tractor-trailer, straight truck, bus | CDL Class A or B | Disqualification only for the driving offenses in 49 CFR 383.51 (table below). Carriers must pull your 3-year driving record (49 CFR 391.23) and query the Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse (49 CFR 382.701). | Carrier limits: Stevens Transport lists no DUI in the past five years and no more than one in a lifetime; Walmart allows no more than two moving violations and no preventable accidents in three years (carrier pages, October 2026). |
| Tanker or hazmat loads | CDL with H or X endorsement | TSA security threat assessment; disqualifying crimes in 49 CFR 1572.103 | The same carrier limits, plus the TSA fee |
Federal rules say nothing about theft, drug possession, assault or most other convictions for CDL purposes; those are carrier decisions, and they vary. Ask for the carrier's written hiring criteria before you start a training program, especially a sponsored one with a repayment clause. Program terms are on paid CDL training; the federal steps are on how to get a CDL.
The CDL offenses that disqualify (49 CFR 383.51)
The rule, current on eCFR as of October 15, 2026, counts convictions in any vehicle.
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| Offense (Table 1 to 383.51) | First conviction | First conviction while hauling hazmat | Second conviction |
|---|---|---|---|
| Driving under the influence of alcohol or a controlled substance; blood alcohol of 0.04 or more in a commercial vehicle; refusing a required alcohol test | 1 year | 3 years | Life |
| Leaving the scene of an accident | 1 year | 3 years | Life |
| Using the vehicle to commit a felony | 1 year | 3 years | Life |
| Driving a commercial vehicle while your CDL is revoked, suspended or canceled for prior commercial violations; causing a fatality through negligent operation | 1 year | 3 years | Life |
| Using the vehicle in a felony involving manufacturing, distributing or dispensing a controlled substance | Life, no reinstatement | Life, no reinstatement | Life, no reinstatement |
| Using a commercial vehicle in a felony involving severe forms of human trafficking | Life, no reinstatement | Life, no reinstatement | Life, no reinstatement |
A state may reinstate a lifetime disqualification after 10 years if the driver completes an approved rehabilitation program, except for the drug and trafficking felonies (383.51(a)(6)). Serious traffic violations such as excessive speeding or texting while driving bring 60 days for a second conviction within three years and 120 days for a third (Table 2); violating an out-of-service order brings 180 days to one year for a first offense (Table 4).
Hazmat endorsement: the TSA list
Placarded hazardous materials need an H or X endorsement, which requires a TSA security threat assessment: $85.25, or $41.00 for TWIC holders in states that accept it, valid five years; apply at least 60 days ahead (TSA, fee effective January 1, 2025). Under 49 CFR 1572.103, permanent disqualifiers include espionage, treason, terrorism, murder, explosives offenses and improper transport of hazardous materials. Interim disqualifiers apply to felonies such as robbery, extortion, fraud, bribery, smuggling, immigration violations, drug distribution, arson, kidnapping, rape, assault with intent to kill and firearms offenses, if you were convicted within the past seven years or released from prison within the past five. Older listed felonies do not bar the endorsement. Many CDL jobs, including most dry van and reefer freight, do not need it. Job types and home time are compared on local vs regional vs OTR trucking.
The 2026 non-domiciled CDL rule
Since March 16, 2026, a state may issue or renew a non-domiciled CDL only to a foreign-domiciled driver in H-2A, H-2B or E-2 status. An Employment Authorization Document alone no longer qualifies, licenses already issued stay valid until their printed expiration date, and a new non-domiciled CDL runs no longer than one year (FMCSA final rule, 91 FR 7044, February 13, 2026). The D.C. Circuit declined to pause the rule on May 5, 2026, heard argument in September 2026, and had not ruled as of mid-October 2026. U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents are not affected. Full explanation: the non-domiciled CDL rule.
Where to look
Start with the category, then the city, then search the words employers use: "fair chance", "second chance" and "background friendly". Warehouse: Dallas, Houston, Atlanta, Chicago, Phoenix, Los Angeles. Driver: Dallas, Houston. Chicago and Los Angeles are in ban the box states, so the conviction question comes later there; in Texas, Georgia and Arizona the employer's policy decides. Employers in all industries with published policies are on second chance jobs; how to answer when the question comes is on how to talk about a conviction.
Current openings
See warehouse jobs, driver jobs, delivery jobs and general labor jobs nationwide, or the city pages above.
More driver openings
Current source-linked listings could not be confirmed in this sample. Check the category search and each original posting for availability.
How to verify a listing
Every opening on JobPin links to its source posting. Open it, check the date, and read the background-check line and any license requirement on the employer's own site. No legitimate employer charges a fee to apply, and no one can issue a CDL or a hazmat endorsement for a fee. For sponsored CDL training, get the written agreement and the carrier's hiring criteria before you travel.
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