Red Tape

I've been driving with an Atlas Van Lines agent since April. Got my Class A permit in May and my CDL in October.

The last step before I am authorized to go out of state is to become "Atlas qualified". Here is what I know that consists of so far:

-Complete another job application for Atlas, even though I did one for the agent already (including a minimum of 3 years work history and all commercial driving experience in the past 10 years, which is 5 years in my case)
-Do a driving training course/test since I didn't go to trucking school and don't have 1 year experience
-Become ELD certified to Atlas standards (I have already used ELDs and know HOS rules)
-Do another pre-employment drug test (I did one for the agent when I started, plus a random)
-Authorize the FMCSA clearinghouse to submit my drug and alcohol violations (none) to Atlas

There's more but I forget all the details I was told over the phone. Is this pretty much par for the course with all trucking companies? I know some of it must be legally required of them, but it seems like an awful lot of red tape to do a job that I already do every day for one of their own agents, minus crossing state lines.

 

The hope is, yes. Where I live local drivers for a moving company make 13-17/hr and having a CDL doesn't change that. The money is in interstate commission jobs.

 

Okay, that's what I figured. A lot of it just feels redundant and unnecessary with the agent and van line being separate companies for one job.

Anal probe and delousing are later in the month I think, cross that bridge when I come to it.