First of all, to the people suggesting that you should lie and/or misrepresent your driving history, that is completely the WRONG answer. Background checks can and will search back farther than what your local DMV keeps on
record.

Second, don't lie to the HR people. They are experts in sizing up people and they'll know if you are telling the truth. Sure, you could fake it and pass the interview. But anytime during your employment, if they find out that you lied, and some employers do keep checking your background after you've been employed, you'll be terminated on the spot. And it will be very unlikely that you'll be hired by another company. HR people talk to one another.

This is only more important given the findings of the Colgan crash and the fact that the CA wasn't very honest on his applications. You can bet the HR departments at the regionals / small companies are going to be more diligent in their background checks.

Third, STOP BREAKING THE LAW. How can the HR people trust you with the lives of their passengers and their equipment if you can't follow simple driving laws? Yes, we all have broken the law at some point, but some of us never got caught. Unfortunately for you, you have built quite a record in a very short period of time

Fourth, be honest to yourself and your application. An employer is more likely to higher you if you say, "Yes, I do have some motor vehicle violations. I got them for blah blah blah. I now realize how wrong of me it was to drive that way and knowing that it can affect future employment, I am ashamed of it. I did go to driving school and I have not received any infractions since my last ticket." In other words, tell the HR you made some mistakes and that you've learned from them. DO NOT tell the HR person "everyone gets tickets" "I was stupid, I didn't know any better". No, everybody doesn't get tickets and never call yourself bad names during an interview. Always keep it positive, only talk about the negative if they ask about such things ... and always turn the negative into a positive (talk about what learned from your mistakes).

Finally, like the others have said, NEVER give up. There were several times during my flying career where I was told I would never fly again. Additionally, and probably more relevant to the thread, I had four tickets on my record. Three were for speeding, one was for driving too close (thank you Lowndes County, GA). Every interviewer asked me about the driving too close ticket. And so I told my story and I admitted my fault. But I quickly explained to them, after realizing the dangers of following too close, I always TRY to keep the proper distance.

So, in short, yes it will affect your chances of being asked into an interview and thus hired; however, it is very very doable.

Good luck.

 

Here's my situation...

1 - Speeding (by 5 mph... it's noted on the ticket) - Late 2007
2 - Failure to Yield (resulted in mine being crashed into cop said 50-50 split on fault), - mid 2008.
3 - Running a Red (on a bicycle) - mid 2009.

I'm deciding what I want to do with the last one still, its a $40 fine, and the judges in Hawaii go straight by the book, regardless of circumstances.

Am I hosed... or not hosed?

 

I have done a little recruiting at a small regional in the past and maybe it's not the end of the world for you - yet.. You need to slow down for sure but it sounds like you're just now starting out your flying career... Several of the offenses you mentioned expire after 3 years, some after 5 years (depending on the state you live in)...

I'd lay low, keep working on your licenses, make sure you get NO MORE TICKETS! and in 2-3 years when you're trying to move on to a regional run a nationwide search on yourself first... Then you'll know what’s on your record...

You don't need to lie but instead can mention that in the past you had a speeding ticket or two but since they'd been expunged from your record you do not recollect exactly when they were issued...

Good luck and be safe...


aviatorhi - the same applies to you... but did you go to court for crashing into the police car? If so, what's on your record?

 

Isn't that how it usually goes?

 

You have made yourself extremely non-competitive in the job market you have selected. You display a blatant disregard of the rules and lack of maturity. If you were to get hired & be involved in an incident/accident the lawyers would have a field day with your employer. As the "bosses" at the end of the movie "Casino" debate what to do with the character played by Joe Pesci one says "Why take the chance"? Is the risk of hiring you worth the reward? As long as there are better candidates to select, you will be bypassed. It is all about money & assuming liability. You have shown yourself to be high risk material.