Which roles are closed to you
A company willing to hire you can still be forbidden by law to put you in a particular
job. None of these are Caudill Seed Company's decision, and none of them are a reason not to apply
for the work that is open.
Warehouse associate, picker, packer, or forklift operator Open Warehouse and fulfillment work is open, and a forklift certification is a training record your employer issues, not a license a state can deny over your history.
Construction laborer, helper, or apprentice Open General construction labor is open, and the cards people ask for on a jobsite are safety training, not licenses that screen your history.
Delivery or truck driver (CDL) Restricted A DUI or a drug conviction involving a vehicle can disqualify you from driving commercially, for one year or for life depending on the offense. A first conviction for driving under the influence of alcohol or a controlled substance, refusing a breath test, leaving the scene, causing a death through negligent driving, or using any vehicle to commit a felony takes you off commercial vehicles for one year, or three years if you were hauling placarded hazardous materials. A second conviction for any combination of those offenses is a lifetime disqualification, though a state may reinstate you after ten years if you complete a state-approved rehabilitation program. Using a commercial vehicle to commit a felony involving manufacturing, distributing, or dispensing a controlled substance, or a severe human trafficking felony, is a lifetime bar with no ten-year reinstatement. Your state licensing agency applies this, not the carrier. 49 CFR 383.51 · checked September 17, 2026 Box truck or straight truck driver (no CDL) Restricted Even without a CDL, a DUI or a drug offense while you were on duty in a commercial vehicle can take you off the road for six months to three years. This rule covers any driver of a commercial motor vehicle in interstate work, including smaller trucks that need no CDL. The disqualifying offenses are driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, refusing a required test, transporting, possessing, or using Schedule I drugs, amphetamines, or narcotics while on duty, leaving the scene, and any felony involving the use of a commercial vehicle. The offense has to have happened during on-duty time; a first offense is one year, or six months if it only involved transporting or possessing those substances, and three years if you had another disqualifying conviction in the three years before. 49 CFR 391.15 · checked September 17, 2026 Hazmat driver (CDL hazmat endorsement) Restricted A hazmat endorsement runs through a TSA security check, and a set list of serious felonies blocks it, some for good and some only while they are recent. TSA uses one offense list for hazmat endorsements and TWIC cards. Twelve are permanent: espionage, sedition, treason, a federal crime of terrorism, a crime causing a transportation security incident, improper transport of hazardous materials, explosives offenses, murder, bomb threats, certain RICO convictions, and attempts or conspiracies to commit them. Fifteen more are interim, meaning they only count if you were convicted within seven years of the date you apply or were released from incarceration for them within five years, and they include drug distribution, robbery, extortion, arson, kidnapping, assault with intent to kill, immigration violations, smuggling, bribery, firearms offenses, and felony dishonesty or fraud. TSA decides, you can appeal a mistake in the record, and you can request a waiver for every offense except espionage, sedition, treason, and terrorism. 49 CFR 1572.103 · checked September 17, 2026 Port, dock, or maritime worker (TWIC card) Restricted A TWIC card is what gets you into a port or onto a vessel, and TSA uses the same offense list it uses for hazmat, with most of it timing out after seven years. Twelve permanent disqualifying felonies cover espionage, sedition, treason, terrorism, a transportation security incident, improper hazmat transport, explosives, murder, bomb threats, and certain RICO convictions. The other fifteen are interim and only disqualify you if the conviction came within seven years of your application or you were released from incarceration within five years, which means an older robbery, drug distribution, arson, or fraud conviction drops out on its own. Being wanted or under indictment for a listed felony holds up the card until the warrant clears or the indictment is dismissed, and you can request a waiver for any interim offense and for most of the permanent list. 49 CFR 1572.103 · checked September 17, 2026 Appealing a TWIC or hazmat denial Restricted If TSA turns down your TWIC or hazmat endorsement over a conviction, you can ask for a waiver, and the request is decided on your record since the offense. You have until 60 days after TSA serves the final determination to send a written waiver request, and you can ask during the application instead of waiting. TSA weighs the circumstances of the offense, restitution you made, any state or federal mitigation such as a pardon or expungement, and anything else showing you are not a security threat, then answers in writing within 60 days. Waivers are available for every interim offense and for the permanent offenses other than espionage, sedition, treason, and a federal crime of terrorism. 49 CFR 1515.7 · checked September 17, 2026 Airport ramp, baggage, fueling, or terminal worker (SIDA badge) Restricted Working in the secure part of an airport takes a badge, and 28 listed offenses block it if you were convicted within the last ten years. The list runs from air piracy, murder, and espionage to armed or felony unarmed robbery, extortion, felony arson, distribution of a controlled substance, and any felony involving theft, burglary, willful destruction of property, aggravated assault, bribery, possession of stolen property, or dishonesty, fraud, or misrepresentation. It only reaches back ten years from the date you apply, so an older conviction does not count, and an arrest with no conviction is not disqualifying. The airport operator makes the call, must tell you the FBI record is why, must give you a copy of it if you ask, and must give you 30 days to correct it if it is wrong. 49 CFR 1542.209(d) · checked September 17, 2026 Any job that puts a firearm or ammunition in your hands Closed If you have a conviction for a crime punishable by more than a year in prison, federal law makes it a crime for you to possess or receive a firearm or ammunition, and that quietly closes more jobs than people expect. This is a bar on possession rather than on any named occupation, but it reaches every duty that puts a gun or a box of ammunition in your hands: a sporting goods counter, a warehouse aisle that stocks ammunition, armed security, parts of some manufacturing lines. Federal law separately makes it a crime for anyone to sell or hand over a firearm or ammunition to a person they know or have reason to believe is prohibited, which is why licensed dealers are careful about which roles they fill. The definition leaves out business regulation offenses such as antitrust, and leaves out state misdemeanors punishable by two years or less. An expungement, a set aside, a pardon, or a restoration of civil rights takes the conviction back out unless the order itself says your firearm rights are not restored. 18 U.S.C. 922(g)(1) · checked September 17, 2026