Milwaukee, Wisconsin — Ed Hennings served a 20-year prison sentence for a first-degree reckless homicide conviction handed down in 1996, but today the Milwaukee native operates Go Time Trucking to put former offenders back behind the wheel. Released from custody in 2016, Hennings rejected the pull of the streets to build a legitimate commercial enterprise, proving that truck driver jobs can serve as a legitimate path to redemption for men and women returning to society from correctional facilities.
Before establishing his trucking company, Hennings launched a barbershop and created a proprietary shoe line, using his entrepreneurial drive to turn severe adversity into an operational business model. He now uses Go Time Trucking to employ drivers with similar backgrounds, including team members who served quarter-century sentences after entering the corrections system as juveniles. For these drivers, operating heavy equipment offers an immediate route to financial stability and personal accountability in an industry desperate for reliable talent.
The company's workforce mirrors Hennings' own history, featuring drivers like Todd Jones, who spent 25 years behind bars after entering the system at age 15. Rather than hiding their pasts, Hennings and his drivers view the fleet as a rolling testament to rehabilitation and disciplined work ethic. Beyond managing freight operations, Hennings hosts weekly Saturday Zoom sessions for individuals looking to break into the transportation sector, secure their own authority, and transition into owner-operator status.
What This Means for Drivers
Finding steady work with a major carrier often proves difficult for CDL-A holders who carry felony convictions on their records, despite a nationwide shortage of qualified freight haulers. Fleets like Go Time Trucking demonstrate that second-chance hiring models can succeed by pairing strict personal accountability with practical mentorship on the road. Owner-operators and fleet managers facing high turnover rates can look to this Milwaukee enterprise as a practical blueprint for recruiting and retaining dedicated OTR truck driver talent.
Industry Reaction
The commercial transport sector has historically wrestled with rigid hiring restrictions stemming from insurance requirements and risk management policies. However, as the driver shortage persists, progressive trucking companies hiring convicted felons are discovering a pool of highly motivated operators who treat their commercial driver licenses as a hard-earned second lease on life. Advocates point out that programs like Hennings' Saturday mentorship classes help bridge the gap between prison release and long-term career success in logistics.
Key Points
- Ed Hennings founded Go Time Trucking in Milwaukee after completing a 20-year prison sentence that began in 1996.
- The company specifically employs drivers with felony backgrounds and extended prison terms, including individuals incarcerated as juveniles.
- Hennings hosts educational Saturday Zoom classes to help aspiring entrepreneurs buy their own trucks and enter the freight business.
- The carrier operates as part of Hennings' broader business portfolio, which also includes a barbershop and an independent shoe line.
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