New Driver Work History

Most companies only want a 3 yr. work history for new cdl school grads.
Companies can legally ask for more than 3 years if that's a company policy.

 

Dont worry about it. 10 years is required by the feds, not the company. Only driving history is "usually" looked at by the company.

Keep your CDL clear of tickets and accidents and in 6 months you can go to work for just about anyone.

 

Let me make this easy for you. Stop thinking about job history and think more about accounting for your time. That 10-year job history is ONLY for drivers that have a CDL and have had it for 10+ years. In your case, all you need is a general 3-year history. To save space I have generalized a lot of the rules found in part 391. Stop worrying about this and get your CDL and go to work!

 

Job hopping is common in the industry, so they won’t think much of it. On a freymiller ad I saw, it was a maximum of 9 jobs in 3 years lol. As far as reporting non-CDL jobs, that’s sort of up to you. I don’t report the couple of fast food jobs I had in high school because the experience there doesn’t serve any purpose and it’s just extra steps. Most companies are only interested in job history so they can verify CDL experience for insurance. Unemployment gaps and terminations are the main things that might raise a red flag

 

Part 391 looks for back three years at all jobs.

This is supposed to cover all 3 years explaining any employment gaps.

For drivers with more than 3 years driving experience they want to look back ten years of driving employment ignoring non-driving experience.

Covid will be a popular explanation of gaps for the next few years of applications.

There are a 1001+ reasons for an employment gap from 'helping dad bring in the hay crop' to 'caring for an elderly parent' and good old J J Keller has a form for this.....

 

Must have changed it then. Back in the 80s it was 10 years, which is why most companies ask for 10 Im sure.

Like VIRs. Used to be you had to fill one out every day. Now, only if you have a problem (unless you a going to Canada in which case you still have to do them every day).

 

So many carriers interpret 391 differently. Some are so tough that if you have a break in your employment history they might round-file your application. Some spend a lot of time verifying. The primary reason for this is those driver qualification files. Here is what happens in a typical FMCSA audit. They will bring with them a hit list of anywhere from 3 or 4 up to maybe 100 drivers culled out of the Federal SMS data. Then they hit safety and go over their DQFs and then their log history. There is a specific way the FMCSA wants those DQFs to be. They WILL NOT accept missing or incomplete data. I have written about this several times already. I know several HR types that learned this the hard way. People think it is OK to leave out a verification if you can't get a reply from a request. They think it is OK to just placehold with a note the carrier failed to reply. The FMCSA in almost every situation issues a fine to a carrier for doing this. The CORRECT way to handle this can be found in 391.23(c)(3).

(3) Prospective employers should report failures of previous employers to respond to an investigation to the FMCSA and use the complaint procedures specified at § 386.12 of this subchapter. Keep a copy of the reports in the driver investigation history file as part of documenting a good faith effort to obtain the required information.

This rule is written a bit vague. It is also confusing. What reports? How can you get a report when the carrier/employer won't reply? This rule could use some work. This is what the carrier is supposed to do. Follow that link and report the situation to the FMCSA. They will then investigate the non-compliance and report back the results. This is what is supposed to be in that DQF.

Just as there are carriers that don't want to deal with the SAP/Return to duty protocols some carriers simply round file an application if they have to do this extra work.

This is why I also advise a person to sit and write all this information down. Get any and all documentation such as W2s and 1099s and file them. If you are taking care of a sick relative get statements from the doctor of this care. The more information you can provide the more the carrier has. This also applies to company-financed driving schools.

@brian991219

 

I also need to add another aspect of 391. First 391 is loaded with rules. Most of these rules can't be fully explained in a few words in a forum comment. These DQFs and how the FMCSA wants them are why so many carriers either use HireRight or another company like it. A carrier can pull a DAC and if there is no missing information that DAC report can actually be used in the DQF. This is another reason EVERY driver who has changed jobs in the last 18 months should get a free copy of their DAC. I am sure somebody has the right link. Go over it and make sure the information is right. Hire dates, the date you quit or was fired, and length of employment. Even if you are currently driving now. Make sure that DAC information is right.