Verifying employment:

Anytime company a is acquired by company the acquiring entity will maintain the old employment records, unless the old company sent a layoff/termination of employment. In that case they are basically a new employee. Having been in many a company acquired, I always the list the old company, and under reason for leaving put acquired by <fill in the blank>, then list the new company as the next employer. Usually if anyone calls the old company will have a note in the employee file.

 

For interstate driving the company has to go back 3 years for employers that weren't DOT regulated and a further 7 years for previous employers that were. And if you run intrastate the regs vary alot. I know one local company only wanted 3 years period, whether it was DOT regulated or not.

As far as verification, you should be able to use paper logs as well to show the start and stop dates of your employment.

 

All trucking companies are subject to the FMCSR. And most of the bigger carriers subscribe to Hireright. Which helps minimize the backgroundcheck. But companies that do not use Hireright and are listed as references, must be called, and information faxed and pre-employment results disclosed and the whole 9.
This is tedious and time consuming because smaller companies drag their feet when a company wants information on an ex-driver.
One previous employer can stall the entire hiring process.

 

I could be wrong, but I think under federal law trucking companies that cease to exist are required to keep accessible records for 10 years.........most of them employ a company that take on their most recent phone number and retain employment records. I know that happened with one of the companies I worked for that closed up during the recession of 2008 and 2009.

 

I don't know. I remember I worked for A to Z transportation out of Pennsauken NJ, and they merged with Cowan systems. A to Z never owned any tractors or trailers. They leased the trucks and trailers. They were a trucking company in name only. They were basically brokers that hired drivers to lease trucks and move freight. Once they dissolved then there was no way to contact them. Same thing with DMX trucking out of Richmond VA who was bought out by Uriel Trucking. You wouldn't know they ever existed unless you knew one of their drivers