How useful are company FMCSA scores?

no, an OOS could be something not mechanical. like maybe a log/ELD.

further, one can check "ripoff report" on nearly all the trucking companies...i know that site will have BILLIONS of bad reviews, even on the best of the best companies, all cuz someone didn't get to go home one weekend, or had to layover and wait for a load.

as stated by someone else, the good companies do not send recruiters to the schools

the good companies do not advertise...

 

If you chose poorly of whom you work for. That company may mean the difference of whether you will be hired by the next company or ridiculed for the poor decision.

 

Gives a general indication of how good a company is at being in compliance.

Worse score, less likely to get a bypass and more likely to get pulled around back at weigh station.

All things being equal, pick the better company.

 

this is true, my former employer (that i retired from) WOULD NOT hire anyone with under 5 years experience. and I APPRECIATED that, as i was paid very well.. to me, why hire someone off the street, NO experience, and with-in x amount of time, pay them the same as me..??
to me, that is NOT fair, for all my years, and someone walks in, with LESS experience than me, and gets the same pay..?? BS.

there was a time (believe it or not) companies like Werner had a 5 year minimum experience level before they hired you.
believe it or not, many if not all companies had a 10 year experience level BEFORE one could ask the company, to be a trainer.
believe it or not, many if not ALL tanker companies had a 10 year experience level BEFORE they hired you to pull tankers!
believe it of not, NO EX-CON, ever got a job with a reputable company, but many clandestine or gypsy companies did..by the way, an o/o was refered to as a "gypsy trucker" back in the day.

Gypsy's had come from India (originally) and gypsy's were known to be nomadic-roamers.....(alias) independent truckers...in later years, gypsy's were known as roaming thieves, and would set up thier tents, wagons in different towns, steal them blind, and move on.....(again, the independent trucker lifestyle)

to this day, many old timers remember that description of the o/o......back in the earlier days.

it is a catch 22 situation.

you need the experience to get a job, but you cannot get the job if you don;t have the experience.

so this is where the low-life mega carriers come in.

and frankly, they ruined this industry, when they opened up the doors to all people, from all walks of life and backgrounds.

once you lower your standards for seat meat, you just ain't no good in my opinion.

that's why i was SO GLAD, my former employer DID NOT hire inexperienced people.

it's tough, but ya know what..??


just do it, and move on 1 year later.

 

The turnover rate of their drivers is more important
Most companies brag about their turnover rate of its under 100%

just imagine if a local school district had 100% turnover on its teachers or a hospital had 100% turnover in its nursing staff

what part of the country are you in ?
Want to be based in ?

 

I agree

there isn’t much barrier to entry to be a driver
So you’re competing with anyone and everyone , including immigrants who can’t even speak English

I know a company that will hire drivers fresh out of CDL school and put them thru a 12 month paid training
but only if they pass an intensive 10 year look back background investigation that includes having a clean driving record , a good credit score, and zero criminal convictions ,
And this background investigation also includes your siblings , parents , spouses and In laws , since the apply doesn’t fall far from the tree

I know someone who was at a recent CDL school when this company’s recruiter visited
90% of the class Was not eligible to apply for the background check
Recruiter started naming off stuff that would Knock you out of the check

can’t have any unpaid child support
Several students leave the room

can’t have any repo’s , judgements , foreclosures or Liens .
Several more walk out

can’t have any serious traffic convictions, no DUI no texting and driving , no street racing etc
Several more walk out

this goes on until 27 of the 30 students are gone
The recruiter holds up the 250 page background investigation application and drops it on the table with a bang .
Two of the three students walk out .
Recruiter points at the last student and says “you’re hired !”
Fill this out and get it back to us ASAP
We will call you when the results come back , takes somewhere between 6-20 weeks
Company called back 6 weeks later and the student got hired, earned $40k in the 12 month training , and that rate doubled after passing the 12 month training .
Driver is assigned a Nearly Brand new W900, after 18 months , driver gets to pick the color of the brand new one he will be assigned. they are home every weekend . And this company has zero turnover

there are some good companies out there
It’s your job to find them .
They likely won’t find you because there are too many bad companies that will find you first .

 

Recruiter jibber jabber and company web sites are "optimistic" interpretations of company wishes. The FMCSA Saferweb CSA scores are statistical reality. I think of it this way, all but the very very worst car drivers say they are good drivers. Their insurance company makes them pay for insurance based on reality.

I pay attention to the percentage of out of service (OOS) and driver OOS compared to the rest of the industry. BTW, those OOS numbers translate into real life treatment at weigh stations. Don't volunteer to be hassled by DOT.