An Absolute Honest To Goodness Question

as a new cdl holder one only needs 3 years anyway
19 is for currently drivers
for me I needed a letter from my accountant showing I was self employed
others that were home taking care of family used letters from attorneys and doctors
inheritance same thing

 

Unless the 10 yr requirement has been changed since the inception of CDL, the 10 year history pertains only to when you change an employer.
Yes it is for verifying your employment and safety record, but not for the insurance companies. Normally a company has a blanket insurance where by they add names to the policy and the insurance company pulls a MVR. It is true that a company can and does get discounts for certain things like implementing procedures that reduce the chances of an insurance claim.
If youre 22 yr old and straight out of School, you have no history, there are a lot of companies who misinterpret the rule and feel they have to have a record at all costs. This also creates the idea that the ten years pertains to everything you have done in the previous decade. Like wise if you are 50 and have a break in your 10 yrs you should declare non CDL work with the time periods, however you could still be asked for employer names and address etc from an over zealous recruiter. But if you have nothing to hide why not give them what they want, after all you want the job? And will be following company rules..

 

You know I just don't see the issue.. I worked for a retail company and did the hiring.. our employee did not drive or given company vehicles to be in charge of, nor were they ever asked to be responsible for thousands of dollars of merchandise
Other than keeping an eye out for shoplifter
When we saw an app that had not been working for months it was a red flag.. here is a person who has not had to wake up and be somewhere at a certain time.. we did not want to hire someone only to have them be late or not able to make it in for one reason or the other...

To me it just makes sense that before they put us in a truck they try to figure out if we are responsible, if there are any red flags.. if I had a fleet you could bet I would want to know who I was putting in the seat..

 

When i wrote "They want to see that you were and are able-bodied..." I realize from the replies I'm being misinterpreted.

"They want to see...." means your work history in and of itself indicates you "were and are able-bodied..." having been actively employed.

When asked, a former employer will verify dates of employment and whether you're eligible for rehire. A former employer wouldn't comment on your health or disability.

And if you choose to answer 'yes" to the question 'is there any reason you can not perform functions of this job?' then you likely shouldn't apply and that is the point of the question.

 

I think most here understand why an employer would want to know a potential employee's work history. But I think the original question was meant as - is there anything illegal about hiring someone without a work history?

However, i often hear that some employers will require W2's if they cannot verify work history, and tell the prospective employee that its required by the government. This should be a red flag for the applicant, because its either a flat out lie or ignorance on the employers part.

 

Straight answer is Yes and No.

Yes because when you change employers you are required to provide a history of the last 10 years.

No because if your straight out of School even truck school you have no trucking history to submit.

Besides if you submit a resume, you have already provided a work history and references that should satisfy the requirements. The same applies to someone who has had a break in their trucking career.

 

no prob. A while back, someone quoted the answer from the FMCSA book, I looked it up and there it was. Pick up a copy and you can see the rules for yourself.

Basically, if you tell an employer you sat around watching soaps and eating bonbons for the last ten years, and they still want to hire you, they can hire you.

If you had any jobs, you provide that info. The employer is then required to try to contact those employers -- and if they're all out of business, the employer only has to document that they tried to contact those companies.

before I started driving, I had three jobs the previous ten years. Two of those employers were out of business. I told them that, but still provided the address and phone. I was hired and never heard a word about it. No requests for W2's, no BS.

 

Why in the world would it be illegal to hire a former housewife? (or househusband, rare as those creatures are)

I have a lot of gaps in my paid employment; doesn't mean I wasn't working! And no, it can't be verified, he moved to somewhere in Ohio when I went to Maine.

(edit to note that I don't have "no work history whatsoever", so don't fit the example precisely)

 

My friend took two years off and didn't work by choice. Why? Because life is freaking short and he had the money to do so. He then went to school, got his cdl and got prehires from lots of companies. He went with Schneider and is still there, I guess it's been about a year now. Being out of work or having an employment gap isn't that big of an issue, most of the time they just want to know that you weren't employed in a DOT regulated activity and want you to sign a notarized statement with witnesses saying so to fulfill the federal government requirements.