Does Ryder hire people with felonies?

What Ryder has said

Ryder System, Inc. hasn't published a fair-chance or second-chance hiring policy that we could find, and it is not on the Second Chance Business Coalition member list. Its applicant privacy notice says background checks are done where applicable if you are offered a job, and may include criminal history. The driver and technician postings we opened list passing a Ryder drug test and a Ryder background and motor vehicle check as requirements; the four warehouse postings we opened list neither and say only that some positions require additional screening. Ryder's CDL driver jobs are also covered by federal FMCSA drug-testing rules.

We didn't find a public statement from Ryder about hiring people with records: not on its careers site, in its reports, or in its announcements. That doesn't mean it won't hire you. It means there's nothing on the record to point to.

Does Ryder do background checks?

Ryder runs background checks for some roles after a job offer. Ryder's applicant privacy notice (last updated February 15, 2023) says background reporting agencies may run background checks for Ryder, that a check may include criminal, employment and education history and credit standing, that Ryder will obtain an authorized disclosure before a criminal background check, and that it conducts background checks where applicable if you are offered a job. It names no vendor or lookback period and doesn't say which jobs require a check. The CDL driver (Akron, OH), non-CDL driver (Gustine, TX) and diesel technician (Mason City, IA) postings list passing a Ryder background and motor vehicle check as a requirement, including drug and alcohol verification from previous employers for the last 3 years. The four warehouse postings we opened (Riverside, CA; Minooka, IL; Laredo, TX; Apopka, FL) don't list a Ryder background check; they say only that some positions require additional screening that may include employment and education verification, a motor vehicle records check and a road test, or a customer's badging or background requirements.^{1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8}

• Criminal history
• Past jobs
• Education
• Credit
• Driving record

• How long a background check takes

Does Ryder drug test?

Ryder drug tests for some roles. The Akron CDL driver, Gustine non-CDL driver and Mason City diesel technician postings list passing a Ryder drug test as a requirement. The four warehouse postings we opened (California, Illinois, Texas, Florida) don't list a test. Every posting we opened calls Ryder a drug free workplace, which is a general statement, not a testing policy. Ryder hasn't published a company-wide testing policy, method or position on marijuana on the pages we read. CDL driver jobs are also covered by the federal rule described under role notes.^{2,3,4,5,6,7,8}

Rules for specific jobs

• CDL truck drivers

  (federal rule) FMCSA says that, generally, all CDL drivers who operate commercial motor vehicles on public roads are subject to DOT drug and alcohol testing, including part-time and backup drivers, and an employer must receive a negative drug test result before permitting a CDL driver to operate a commercial vehicle.⁹

• Truck drivers and drivers who may hold a CDL

  (company policy) Ryder's driver postings that we opened list a minimum age of 21, a DOT physical, a Ryder road test and a 3-year check of drug and alcohol history with previous employers. The Gustine, TX posting is for a non-CDL job but says candidates who hold a CDL are subject to FMCSA requirements, including a pre-employment query of the federal Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse.³

• Diesel technicians

  The Mason City, IA posting lists a Ryder drug test, a DOT physical, a road test, and a Ryder background and motor vehicle check, and says the technician must be able to get a CDL within 6 months of hire. One posting only; we did not read other technician postings.⁴

Your rights, and how far back a check can go

• Under the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), an employer must get your written permission before it gets a background report about you from a background screening company.^15,16,17
• Before an employer decides not to hire, keep, or promote you because of something in a background report, it must give you a copy of the report and a document called "A Summary of Your Rights Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act."^15,16
• You have the right to dispute inaccurate or incomplete information in your background report directly with the company that made it.^15,18
• The FCRA's seven-year limit does not apply to criminal convictions, so under federal law a conviction can show up on a background report no matter how old it is.^19,20
• Under the FCRA, background and credit reports generally cannot include arrest records, civil lawsuits, or civil judgments that are more than seven years old (or older than the statute of limitations, if that is longer).^19,21

Your full background check rights

Before you apply

• You can ask a background screening company for the information it has on you, and the CFPB keeps a list of consumer reporting companies, including employment screening companies, with their contact details.^15,18,22
• According to the Clean Slate Initiative, 14 states and Washington, D.C. have passed Clean Slate laws that meet its criteria for automatically clearing eligible records: Pennsylvania, Utah, New Jersey, Connecticut, Michigan, Delaware, Virginia, California, Oklahoma, Colorado, Minnesota, New York, Illinois, and Missouri, plus D.C.²³
• The Federal Bonding Program, run by the U.S. Department of Labor, lets states give employers free fidelity bonds that protect them against losses from a newly hired worker's dishonest acts, for job seekers with past justice involvement or in recovery from substance use.^24,25

See whether you can clear your record in your state