DOT regulations and work history

Discussion in 'Trucking Industry Regulations' started by superscooter, Aug 15, 2016.

  1. superscooter

    superscooter Light Load Member

    I'm having a bit of a hard time getting a company to give me a chance. While my criminal, driving and accident history is spotless (nothing),..i had a recent termination from a factory for attendance issues ( short version,...got points when mom had hospital stays, mom passed in January and got bereavement and team leader gave me extra week off,...with a surprise FINAL warning point...nice) . I want to go flatbed, and need schooling, no CDL. Two BIG companies rejected me because of job issue. One said come back after a year. I talked to a recruiter for a 3rd one today,...she is going to TRY and push it thru. She was very understanding and listened to everything. My spotless driving and accidents is a biggeeeee, but still. She mention how the Dot that regulates is super picky now about previous employer verification's AND any time of unemployment between. I understand verifying employers,..but is the "termination" issues and time off more of the COMPANY being picky? I mean time unemployed BETWEEN employers? That's very common,...that's called looking for a job. Unless your leaving to go to a job,..it can take awhile. I don't understand why that's an issue. MOST PEOPLE need at least a short amount of time to find one. It wasn't long either,...it was like 1-2 months. I'll say,...the first two companies (in order)....were Maverick, Roehl, ....and the one i'm trying to get a pre-hire from now is Melton. I'm working on getting a grant approved so i can go to the C1 trucking school in Springfiled. Maybe,.. MAYBE it would be easier getting on if i already have a CDL.
     
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  3. bottomhoppercrew

    bottomhoppercrew Bobtail Member

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    Keyoard is messig u[p, so ecuse all the errors. Most compaies require 2 years of experiece. Try a drivig school that will prehire. CRST, Werer ad Schider will all prehire. If they do't wat to hire you, get a certificate of death to show them you are't lyig aout your asece ad termiatio.
     
  4. m16ty

    m16ty Road Train Member

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    I don't see how attendance issues at your previous employer would be of any concern to the DOT. They are looking for safety and not showing up for work or being tardy isn't a safety issue. Sounds like the recruiter is blowing smoke saying this is a DOT issue. More than likely they are really looking at it as being afraid you want show up to work for them.
     
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  5. superscooter

    superscooter Light Load Member

    yeah, that is how i see it. They are picky about the time between jobs. I had a few and i not only said "unemployed",..but stay at home dad while looking,...live in a small farming town, and the jobs are all at least 45 minutes away. When filling out apps...every day has to be accounted for employed or unemployed. Kinda like the logs i guess.
     
  6. Hurst

    Hurst Registered Member

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    His problem is probably an employment history gap. I doubt anyone's issue has anything to do with being terminated or previous work performance.

    Not sure why,.. but they do not want to see any gaps in work history,.. even if unemployed. Personally, I would just write down self employed. Its not like they are going to ask for pay stubs. Its most likely an insurance thing would be my guess.

    Sometimes you have to tell them what they need to hear in order to get them to look beyond certain things.

    Being a stay at home dad,.. are you certain trucking is the right career choice you want to move into? I dont want to deter you from following a dream or finding work. But trucking,.. especially the first stages where you are at the mercy of the company,.. will become a complete life style change. Do not believe all the romanticism about traveling the country and getting paid doing it that recruiters and trucking companies try to sell. Understand this and think very hard about what you are going to be going through as a rookie truck driver. Trucking will stress the best of relationships mainly due to separation and the loneliness you and your family will experience.

    Chances are you will be out on the road for weeks at a time. If you do manage to get weekends home from a company,.. it will not be a home at 5pm Friday night and off to work Monday morning. Reality will be more like home for 34 hrs and then back out the door. Its not much of a life until you get beyond the 2 - 3 yr mark where better companies will become interested in you.

    And bare in mind,.. you will need to keep a squeaky clean work history. No matter how bad a dispatch or anyone upsets or pisses you off. You need to turn the cheek and ride it out for the sake of getting away unscathed and moving up in this business. Any mistakes,.. minor or major,.. something as simple as doing a U-turn can get you fired. A bad write up can create a black list situation that can cause problems for 1 - 2 yrs before anyone will rehire you. The only ones that would may end up being worse than the starter company you just left.

    This is the reality that trucking is. It is regulated and monitored to the point you may feel like you are choking under the stress. You may end up with a dash cam watching how you drive all day. You could be written up for taking a sip of your soda while driving down the road. Many mega companies like the micromanage they drivers like that.

    There are good opportunities in this business. Learning how to get there is the hard part. You have to be strong willed with enough fortitude to see it through. Its not for everyone.

    Hurst
     
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  7. superscooter

    superscooter Light Load Member

    Good points. Being unemployed between jobs...is what people go thru #### near every time though, unless you quit to go somewhere. During my few moments of unemployment,...i put not only searching for job but said "stay at home dad",...only to show i was taking advantage of time off and saving money in childcare. My kids are 17 and 15,...they don't really need childcare, no,...but it sounds better to say...lol. I am married, My father was a OTR driver so i grew up getting to know the life. Yeah, the unemployed time is quite frankly stupid to be an issue. Stupid Government BS.
     
  8. x1Heavy

    x1Heavy Road Train Member

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    It has been decades since I fought unemployment and since I was questioned by recruiters for a accounting of all my time. Especially unemployment time between companies. Why do they event ask when I'm sitting at their table doing the one thing I have been doing with some of my unemployed time? Are they truly that stupid? You tell me.

    If you had a CDL it's a little easier, but you will run into problems explaining your factory termination for a period of time.

    The DOT, under pressure from the Federal Office of Motor Carrier Safety backed by the weight of the United States Department of Transportation has been changing, increasing and actually at this month getting ready to move additional laws into place to tighten the thumbscrews on everyone associated with heavy vehicles. Personally I'm out with no CDL since 2013 by choice due to Tier II rules hauling dead bodies after we get hit with a Natural disaster. Louisana comes to mind, they lost 7 so far as reported in the Media and rescues have been ongoing with 20,000 People souls saved so far. One was a lady in her rag top little sports convertable versus big time river flooding? If there was no one around she would have drowned in a couple of moments. IF her car was a hard top that would have killed her, if it had electric everything and no manual anything that would have killed her. Just going out of her home for whatever reason should have killed her in those deep waters.

    Give me a moment to address the other questions or statements you made in your initial post...

    You say you want a flat bed and a CDL. Go get it. You will like Flatbed because as I have stated over and over and will continue to say, flatbedding is a higher level of trucking for some its a Art. I examine all trucks, and especially flatbeds going by on the road. If you are wrapped like a nice xmas present with all the canvas tucked in, secured properly or even excessively so (Like I do, I plan on God picking up the entire trailer with load and it should stay hanging in chains even upside down. that is my personal policy with flatbeds... no lazies with one strap tossed over a coil larger than street food truck...) you demonstrate to me that you are a professional with that flat bed. I celebrate you.

    Your factory that provided for your Mom, the bereavement with the large knife delivered into your back via the final point warning for attendance is a absolute heartless outfit. I set my face against them and all companies similar to them. You only lose a mother once. (I lost mine 2004, she lies in Arlington, I will have to return there someday to see her spouse buried.. that will be a difficult trip. Not sure if I will go. DC has a lot to do with it. I have plans to visit DC for a week to two weeks to document everything on high defination 1080p video with tripod once so that everything I ever enjoyed in that city will be something I can enjoy here at home in Arkansas because one day DC is going to get hit really hard. Hard enough to break windows in Baltimore and burn people in Fredericksburg. There is not enough burn beds in the entire USA to help. Consider that Friends...)

    Im the kind of person who always try for the best, but prepares for the worst. And ready to do battle against the mountain snow as I have always done in Trucking. Moving up and downgrade on mountain ice enough to make those who are not warriors somewhat faint in the heart and spirit. My last battle was in 2000 taking 65 trucks out of the Cabbage eastbound for about 4 hours in low range, split ice and interlock in relaying my truck's sensor information to those from number two on back (I was number one... for a while that day but initially number 4 in a group of 90 fleeing a winterstorm that weekend.) It was my last true trucking convoy that I led into the high desert towards Wyoming all of us working together on the radio to help approximately 12 new ones who needed to have someone take them under the wing in their first true western mountain storm in winter. We were moving, without stopping hoping to at least make past Odgen and Ft Bridger to get out of the zone in which Chains are eventually required. To sit in a closed interstate with Dispatch yelling at you on the cell (And you wonder why I do not even bother to call. They can always type. I don't suffer verbal abuse from anyone, not even bosses over the phone. *Click. what are they gonna do? Fire me? HA.)

    I hope some of my information here helps you a little bit this morning.

    Good luck!
     
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  9. superscooter

    superscooter Light Load Member

    After discussing the issue with the factory termination, Maverick wanted me to work somewhere for about a year then call back. I didn't even get a talk with a Roehl recruiter, just an email a few days later denying me without actually saying why (i have an idea),....Melton, I talked to the recruiter and she was very understanding and made note of what exactly happened with the factory,...and said my spotless criminal, accidents, and driving...were GREAT. She was going to pass it to the hiring team. She said they would probably get back with me yesterday afternoon. She knows i was also planning on going to C1 schooling with a grant. I'm sure they like the idea of NOT paying me back for that. Didn't contact me back yesterday though. Hopefully not a bad sign and i hear good news today. I was trying to get a pre-hire.
     
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  10. superscooter

    superscooter Light Load Member

    well,...whoever told me before was right. Prime rejected me because of the termination issue.
     
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  11. Studebaker Hawk

    Studebaker Hawk Road Train Member

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    M16ty post is on the money. Most of the usual suspects, mega carriers you have applied for really don't need drivers now. Freight is weak, they can be super picky about who they hire, and will give you any story that suits to keep you "in the wings" That is why Maverick told you to call back in a year, they might need you then because volumns might have picked up.
    How can you tell a recruiter is lying? His lips are moving or his fingers are putting characters on a keyboard.
     
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